Usually it about little journal meme's or status at the beginning or end of the month.
I feel this would be something to discuss. I had mentioned about this in a tweet about almost getting trapped in a scam. As I promised, I would discuss why. Hopefully you will avoid getting caught in this scam like how I was able to escape mine.
Have you ever find yourself looking to get a puppy & someone is planning to give away a free puppy to a good home. Is it too good to be true? I've learned it usually often is.
The story -
Unaware & I admit, a bit naive - I had been struck with puppy fever. Looking up - I had come across some ads of people wanting to give a puppy away for free to a good home. No strings attached. "Free? It's too good to be true." So I inquired further since they had left an e-mail. They promptly returned a reply, telling me about the puppies. I asked about their temperament, what their angle is on why they were giving them away & what kind of things these puppies ended up going through the past 12 weeks. All reasonable & re-searchable considerations considering I already have an 8yr old shih tzu/chihuahua mix to consider. The communication seemed to have been hit & miss ( which was the first mistake looking back at it. ). The person ended up moving to Cameroon for some noble cause ( which will be mentioned again later on why everything logically didn't add up ). Yes - this is a Cameroon pet scam. Long story short to this part of the story was ultimately - due to my living conditions - my pursuit had stopped & I had e-mailed them saying I couldn't take them.
A month later - my cousin was telling me about the loss of her dogs & how her mom was looking to replace them. I mentioned about my earlier pursuit & my cousin asked me to look into it. So I did ... I e-mailed asking - figuring there was no way someone would bypass the opportunity of getting a free puppy. They e-mailed me back promptly 'claiming' they still had them & that they would wait for me to provide info for shipping ( looking back, that also seemed to strange / convenient / too good to be true ). I provided the minimal information, my name, phone number & the airport ( never my address, no thank you! ) where I can pick them up, she said she'd set up for the flight & delivery along w/ food an provided crate for the puppies.
When everything was said & done, I waited for a phone call & talked to a representative. Everything was ready for them to be shipped ... one problem ... they needed 'special crates' to be sent due to 'weather conditions' & this would ensure their health & safety. They provided an e-mail & information for method of payment. Credit/debit would only allow a $1000 so their prefered method was through Western Union. It's convenient, no tracing & no option to get any money returned. This immediately raised a red flag -- the supposed free puppies now needed 'special crates' in order to be shipped. At first, I admit, I was considering on paying the fee but after some consultation, chat w/ other friends & advice ... I ended up going against this. I first asked my aunt, seeing if she as still interested - she said if they're now asking for money, it isn't worth it & it'd be nice to not clean up the dog's area for once. Other friends said to be weary & one friend told me how their parents worked for customs & these 'special crates' were a fraud. I e-mail / text contacted the owner explaining the situation in a nice manner ( not mentioning about my friend's parents who works in customs ) saying that my aunt & myself are uncomfortable fronting that kind of money without guarantee or proof of their safety & arrival. After all - if this puppy owner was already willing to put the money upfront for flight & delivery, what's a lil more money for these 'special crates'? Did I mention - these 'special crates' are refundable once returned to the company? Well they were - so the puppy owner who was giving them away would get their refund, why would I want to steal extra pet crates to begin with? The owner e-mailed me back, telling me they were notified of the situation & insisted since they went through the trouble for the flight & delivery that I should just pay the deposit cuz now magically - they have no money to provide these crates for these puppies. So - once I had the opportunity, I replied back, being nice & courteous, fabricated a story ( made sense since they had one too ) of why neither my aunt, my cousin nor myself would provide a 'special crate' fee for the puppies & that should get them from the shipping company & cancel their flight & delivery costs. It was an all or nothing ordeal I know but if she really is that desperate to send them back to the states - she would have made that happen.
( I'll list all the inconsistancies after re-evaluating the situation )
After e-mailing her, I ended up doing more research, finding out about the Cameroon Pet Scam ( thank you internet ) & found strikingly similar stories. Some were lucky to avoid this scandal - some, sadly were not. Not to mention I had input the person who was giving these puppies away - the e-mail was listed on prior ads last year.
This Cameroon pet scandal has been a more recent trend of pet scams.
Now looking back & having no reply & reassured this is indeed a scam - the following events of these interactions didn't add up & I fully realized me & my relatives were almost scammed out of money.
1. She claimed she was a local who lived within the area - when contacting about the puppies, she had ( magically ) recently moved to Cameroon on a medical mission helping folks w/ diseases & would need to ship them from her current location cuz the place she lives at 'doesn't allow pets'. ( it's either me or she basically this was summed down as a doctor doing mission work, her *&* her husband )
2. Inquiring the temperament of the puppies - the communication was clear but it seemed like there was a lot of misunderstanding communication. ( i mean really - if she was local - I think she'd easily comprehend very easy simple questions about the puppies ) She later changed the topic & basically said things that I would like to have heard ( they magically became super puppies! )
3. The sudden situation she wasn't able to provide money for a crate fee ( let's be honest - if both of them are doctors on a noble / mission work their initial payment & delivery *the price seemed a little low* & what's a little more money to ensure these puppies would make it safely & the money would be refunded to her. )
So what is the lesson learned? - If you're looking to get a puppy, do your homework of what kind of dog you're looking to get for w/ your current live in situation in mind. Always be sure it is not a scam of any sort. How? If they are local or live relatively near by - take some time, meet them. Make sure to ask if you can meet w/ not only the owner but meet the puppy too regardless if they're free to a good home or they're selling them. Find out the puppy's personality & temperament is good for your live-in situation & meet the owner to see where these puppies are coming from & why they are being given or sold away. Never-the-less, don't rule out checking animal rescues & animal shelters, they might not be young or cute or puppy fluffy like, you may find 'the one' there ... shoot it could even be as young as a puppy ( if you're that lucky & reluctant ).
I know these trends & scam have been around but being nearly close to having that happen to myself - it would be good to pass the word regardless of how well known or establish problem it may be. You never know that you may end up in some sort of situation like this too.
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