Puppy scams: Darwin Dachshund breeder reported for ripping off Sydney woman

A Dachshund breeder claiming to be from Darwin has scammed a woman out of thousands of dollars.

A SYDNEY woman has been allegedly scammed out of thousands of dollars by a Dachshund breeder that claimed to be based in Darwin.

The business is listed on a pet scammer list site, with a complaint against them reported in December this year.

Single mother, Anna Wallin said she had already sent the organisation $2000 for the dog when she realised she was in trouble after the shipping company contacted her.

“They asked me to transfer $400 to a bitcoin account for the cost of shipping and then when I went online I found that this is a scam that they operate,” she said.

“They pretended to be the freight company as well.”

She then went back to them using a different email address pretending to be somebody else and they tried to sell her the same dog.

“The fact is I’m four days out from Christmas with nothing,” Ms Wallin said.

“We were looking for a mini Dachshund for my little boy for Christmas Day.”

ACCC statistics reveal that there have been more than 272,000 scam reports so far this year, costing Australians a whopping $280,496,804.

And pet-based scams were the most common, with Scamwatch receiving over 2,800 reports and almost $3.5 million in losses this year.

ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said there were some things to keep in mind when shopping online.

“Research the seller and make sure you know who you are buying from.

“Search online for the product or company name, plus “complaint” or “scam” to see what other people are saying.

“When you’re paying, avoid arrangements that ask for upfront payment via bank transfer, or payment through digital currency, like Bitcoin.

Always try to use a secure payment service such as PayPal or credit card transaction,” Ms Rickard said.

Ms Wallin said she was disappointed she’d been scammed and fleeced of her Christmas funds.

“I probably needed to be more alert, I was just a trusting person,” she said.

“They look so legitimate, but there’s no dogs.”

There is a further complaint about the organisation made on the Pet Scammers List website.

NT Police were contacted for comment, but said they were not aware of a report having been made.

Originally published as Puppy scams: Darwin Dachshund breeder reported for ripping off Sydney woman