Margie Fishman|The News Journal
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After her dog Dino died last year, Betty Bechtel was desperate for a pint-size poodle to fill the gaping hole in her heart.
A Google search for toy poodles led her to www.joyhomepoodles.com and to "Teddy," a 9-week-old white puffball touting a championship bloodline. Pictured tucked ina wooden basket, Teddy had the same soulful eyes as Dino's, the same placid expression, recalls Bechtel of New Castle.
"I was confident these people were going to give me a little boy named Teddy,"she said recently, choking back tears.
Bechtel sent a"deposit" for the dog through Western Union. She showed the invoice to The News Journal but asked that the newspaper not include the amount paid because she's embarrassed about being duped.
Two days after wiring the money, the former bookkeeper drove to Baltimore to pick up her newest family member.
But the man who answered the door told her he didn't have any dogs.It was then that Bechtel, 67, realized she had been ripped off.
Bechtel fell victim to a sprawling international scheme that has defrauded tens of thousands of consumers worldwide of $100 to several thousand dollars each, according to the national Better Business Bureau.When the thieves' websites are exposed, BBB researchers say, the online portals quickly disappear — only to pop up again with similar language and photos under a different domain name.
More than 20 fake breeders have used phony Delaware addresses and phone numbers, bilking unsuspecting buyers in the U.S. and Canada of more than $10,000, according to complaints logged by the local BBB since 2014. Those numbers are high compared with other scams tracked by the organization, said Christine Sauers, president of BBB of Delaware.
The thieves prey on vulnerable people mourning the recent loss of a petor parentstrying to grant their kids' holiday wish, a recent BBB report says. The scam has grown at an alarming rate, and BBBrecommends aggressive law enforcement and better consumer education.
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Most puppyscams appear to originate in the West African country of Cameroon and rely on U.S. workers to pick up wire payments sent through Western Union or MoneyGram, according to a BBB study released last month. The nonprofit, focused on restoring marketplace trust,found that a whopping 80 percent of sponsored advertising links in an internet search for pets may be fraudulent.
Surprisingly, technology-savvy teens and young adults are most likely to fall for the scam, the BBB found.
Many perpetrators escape punishment because they can't be found, according to Carl Kanefsky, aspokesman for the Delaware Department of Justice. The department's consumer protection unit could locate only one puppy scam complaint filed in the last five years, but Kanefsky said victims can also report the thefts to local and federal law enforcement. A Newark Police Department spokesman said the department has seen "a few" puppy scams in recent years.
Nationally, the BBB's ScamTracker website has gathered more than 1,000 complaints about fake puppy breeders. And a 2015 Federal Trade Commission report found that a majority of 37,000 pet-related complaints were related to pet sales scams.
Kanefsky recommended that victims contact the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov and the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
"Many — if not most — of the scams we hear about can be traced only as far as an overseas IP address," he said. "That represents an essential dead-end to a U.S.-based investigator."
The high number of fake breeders using Delaware contact information should put First State petshoppers on alert, Sauers said. And if a breeder insists on full payment before allowing the buyer to see the animal being advertised online, the buyer should walk away, consumer advocates agree.
Purchasing an animal is not like "buying a water heater," Sauers explained. "It's such an emotional buy that, oftentimes, you don't do your extra homework."
Shecompared the scenario to diners craving pasta who don't bother to check a restaurant's health inspection record.
The News Journal attempted to visit the fake websites rounded up by the Delaware BBB in recent years, butall had been taken down. Calls to listed phone numbers resulted in endless ringing or voicemails that were never returned.
Several scammers used real addresses in Delaware linked to unrelated national retail chains in Hockessin and Newarkand to management offices for three apartment complexes. One address was traced back to Delaware, Ohio.
Scam artists use real addresses from real estate listings, such as office space advertised for rent, Sauers said, because it "lends some legitimacy to them if it's a building found via a Google Earth search or Mapquest."
Sauers said she had no explanation for why Delaware was so popular among bogus puppy businesses. The scammers don't formally incorporateor registertheir companies here.
The BBB head speculated that the thieves were possibly attracted to Delaware's small population — fake breeders rarely do business with locals to avoid unannounced visits — and access to major highways and airports.
Spokespeople for two Dover apartment buildings, Clearfield Apartments and Lake Club Apartments, said they weren't aware that their information had been lifted.
"This is the first of anything we've heard about it," said Ronnie Mitra, general counsel for Ingerman, Clearfield's management company. The address at 125 Haman Drive, No. 103, used by www.gigglespompuppies.com, is "not an actual rental unit," he added.
New twist onold scam
Remember that wealthy foreigner who used to emailyou, asking for help shifting millions of dollars out of his homeland? If you signed on, he promised a hefty percentage of his fortune as a reward.
The Nigerian letter scam has become socliché that it's no longer profitable. In its placeare phony IRS agents threatening to arrest you if you don't pay back taxes, marketers hawking fake timesharesand "international logistics" companies hiring "package inspectors" to reship stolen goods abroad.
Then there's ChrisYorkies.weebly.com, specializing in designer dogs. It listed aDover address that is actually Lake Club's leasing officeanddoes not sell dogs.
Sauers provided The News Journal with a lengthy complaint filed by an Ohio woman who paid more than $600 in 2014 for a Yorkie pup named Cassey, advertised online as being "bubbly."
On the day Cassey was supposed to be shipped to Pittsburgh International Airport, Chris Yorkies' shipper sent the client an official-looking invoice demanding an extra $1,320 in insurance and health costs.
The shipper used a phone number with a Philadelphia area code. But an inquiry by The News Journal found that number was routed to Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas.
The buyer, who declined to be identified, balked at paying more, and Casseynever arrived. The complaint noted that the woman had spoken to two men at Chris Yorkies who had foreign accents.
EMAILS BETWEEN THE OHIO BUYER AND CHRISYORKIES.COM, PROVIDED BY THE BBB:
The typical puppy scam goes like this: Thieves easily set up bogus websites, populating them with stolen or fictitious photos and content, and advertise on Facebook or Craigslist. On multiple sites, The News Journal found a photo of family and friends cradling poodles that was stolen from the Las Vegas Review-Journal website.
With names like Memorial VIP Yorkies and Madison Royal Terriers, these fake sites advertise purebred Pomeranians, pugs and huskies, along with exotic Bengal kittens, at one-third to one-half the cost charged by legitimate breeders.
Correspondence with prospective buyers is usually limited to emails and text messages; any request to meet the seller is rebuffed.
Despite the websites' occasional misspellings and generic email addresses like info@mail.com, buyers are seduced by the rapid communication, the seller's robust home "screening" requirementsand extensive information about grooming and nutrition, along with a flexible return policy.
To seal the deal, the buyer is instructed to make an upfront payment to hold the animal and confirm shipment. Shipping fees are waived through a "special coupon" if the buyer pays immediately.
But before the dog departs, the seller demandsmore money for insurance, vaccines, a padded crate or other fees, promising that all the money will be refunded upon delivery. Some customers are warned that if they don't pay promptly, the puppy could be quarantined at the airport for nine months, resulting in criminal charges of animal abuse.
In the end, the buyer is left holding the bag — not the furball.
"I would've fallen for it if I didn't know," said Kimberly Chandler-Hunt, a Newark Dachshund breeder who tried to buy two puppies earlier this year from a website purporting to sell Dachshunds.
The 50-year-old is one of four Delawareans to become entangled in a puppy scam in the past two years, including two who paid a total of $1,100.
Chandler-Hunt didn't take the bait. After requesting documentation about the puppies' pedigree, she said the Maryland-based seller called her a "nerd" and "boring" via email.
"I'm glad to find out I'm boring you before I sent you my boring money," she fired back.
The News Journal requested copies of those emails but Chandler-Hunt said she had deleted them. She encouraged prospective buyers to ask sellers for driver's license and business license information, along with furnishing American Kennel Club registration papers.
Being denied the opportunity to inspect a puppy is a red flag, according to veteran breeder Joan Scott, owner of Wissfire Toy Poodles in Wilmington.
Scott, a registered American Kennel Club breeder, charges $1,500 to $2,000 for her 10-inch-tall poodles. She requires a deposit by cash or bank check as soon as a pup is born and refuses to ship her dogs.
"People have no patience today. They want instant gratification," she said.
"For me, I'd want to see the dog."
Thanksgiving disaster
Lori Forgione, a single mom and customer service specialist in Toronto, wouldn't normally send a $500 Moneygram to a person inDelaware she never met. But she knew that her three daughters would go gaga over their Canadian Thanksgiving gift, a precious teacup Maltese named Lisa, who was whiter than snow.
So, the same day that Forgione inquired about Lisa, she agreed to pay a deposit — the equivalent of two weeks' pay — to have the pup shipped up north. She offered to have a cousin in New York drive down with the money; the seller, with "Greenfield Teacup Maltese," insisted that Forgione send a Moneygram.
If pressed, Forgione was to tell the agent the money was being sent to a relative so "the charges will be minimal," according to a series of text messages that Forgione provided to The News Journal.
"That's a secret most people don't know but we always make sure that we advice [sic] all our customers," the seller wrote.
Forgione was so smitten with a video of Lisa that she recommended Greenfield Teacup Maltese to a friend, who was coming up on the one-year anniversary of her son's death. The seller offered a $100 discount if the friend paid promptly.
An international transaction didn't scare Forgione. She knew lots of friends who bought dogs, hassle-free, from abroad. She wired the money to a MoneyGram location at ACME in College Square, according to Newark police records.
But Lisa's flight didn't take off as scheduled. The day she was supposed to arrive, the seller told Forgione that his wife had to undergo a cancer operation. He asked Forgione to send him another $600 to pay for flights for Lisa and Sophie, the pup that Forgione's friend had picked out.
By that point, Forgione felt uneasy. Lisa was still advertised as available on the seller's website. She demanded to see a copy of the seller's ID, noting the prevalence of puppy scams.
"My dear why do you fill your mind with fear and negative thoughts about us," came the reply. "Do you really think I will swear with the life of my wife in her condition like this and still lying to you?"
On Oct. 5, Forgione filed a report with Newark police to try to recoup her $500. A department spokesman said police are still investigating.
Forgione's daughters received dolls and dresses for their Canadian Thanksgiving, which falls in early October. They were told that the puppy was too sick to travel.
"I don't want them to have distrust in people at this young age," their mother explained.
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'It was the same voice'
Like Forgione, Bechtel gave her poodle seller the benefit of the doubt — over and over.
The Kohl's cashier withclose-cropped hairlives in a one-story home on Odessa Street advertising an alarm system behind a chain-link fence.
Bechtel still hasn't replaced Dino or Teddy, but has three older dogs — two poodle-Maltese mixesanda whiny Chihuahua mix named Egypt whom she picked up off Craigslist months after the Teddy incident.
Thedebacle still prompts uncontrollable sobbing as Bechtel punches her recliner. Dino passed on Jan. 12, 2016, from kidney damageafter Bechtel couldn't afford a risky $6,000 surgery. Immediately, she scoured the internet to fill the void.
Bechtel said she exchanged 65 text messageswith the seller at Joy-Home Poodles before arranging to drive to his house in Baltimore to claim Teddy. On the way, she realized the street name he had given her was off by one letter.
When she called the seller to confirm, a man with a thick Indian accent told her he was driving and couldn't talk.
Bechtel and her nephew eventually found the enormous Victorian home, blanketed in snow.
"You have the wrong address," said the brawny Indian man who answered the door. "We have no dogs here."
"At that point, I knew," Bechtel recalled. The man at the door and the man on the phone had "the same voice."
Bechtel couldn't pay her bills that week. Efforts to contact the seller for a refund proved fruitless. She said she reported the incident to an officer at the Baltimore Police Department, but he told her it was a classic scam with no recourse.
A Baltimore Police Department spokesman said the department does investigate scams but couldn't find any record of Bechtel's case.
Bechtel also wrote to Western Unionrequesting a refund, but she said she received no response. Western Union spokeswoman Claire Treacy told The News Journal that the company provides refunds "under limited circ*mstances" but declined to elaborate.
Treacy noted that the recipient of a money transfer must present a government-issued identification, along with specific sender information, before receiving funds.
The News Journal contacted the owner of the Baltimore home visited by Bechtel,who said he knew nothing about hercomplaint. He referred a reporter to his former tenant who lived there at the time.
Reached by phone, the former tenant denied any involvement, noting that he hadshared the house with multiple men who were in transition.
"I don't know what a poodle is," the gas station attendant with the heavy accent said. "I'm not into animals."
Meanwhile, Bechtel is still searching the internet for a poodle to love. Recently, she stumbled on the same image of Teddy on another website.
A News Journal search found three active websites advertising Teddy and dozens more using the same template as joyhomepoodles.com, including word-for-word health guarantee information, "purcahse [sic] procedure" and a heartwarming Christmas story about the seller's first toy poodle named Chrissy. The only change was the contact information.
"They're scamming people that had their heart broken," Bechtel said. "It's really devastating."
That hasn't derailed her mission, however. She now has a lead on a tiny black pup from Pennsylvania, which she found through a breeder referral network.
Her younger sister worries the poodle, with a nearly $1,000 price tag, might outlive her semi-retired sibling.
Bechtel, who is going camping this weekend in Pennsylvania, printed out directions to the breeder — "just in case."
"My heart tells me to do it," she said.
Contact Margie Fishman at 302-324-2882, on Twitter @MargieTrende or mfishman@delawareonline.com.
Looking to purchase a pet?
Follow these tips from the Better Business Bureau:
- Research any business and its owners carefully before paying any money. Check the company’s BBB Business Profile atbbb.org.
- If possible, try to pick up the puppy in person. Puppy scams depend on buyers trusting that the animals will be delivered to them.
- Be careful about buying a puppy from anyone you don’t knowand be especially skeptical if the price is much lower than normal.
- Avoid wiring money or using prepaid cards or gift cards to pay for transporting animals. Instead, pay by credit card in case you need to challenge thepurchase later.
- Research pet adoption requirements in your area. Get a good grasp on what fees, permits and licenses are required by your local government and know whether they should be collected by the seller or government.
- Consider getting a rescue dog. Generally, rescues are less expensive than purebred pets from a breeder and often have fewer health problems.
- Fraud victims can submit reports to local law enforcement, BBB Scam Trackerat www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov and the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
