Woman loses $3000 in scam while trying to buy therapy dog
A woman desperate for a dachshund puppy as a therapy dog to help with her battle with an eating disorder was scammed out of more than $3000 by a man who claimed to be a breeder.
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A woman desperate for a dachshund puppy as a therapy dog for her health battles was scammed more than $3000 by a fraudster who claimed to be a breeder.
Sunshine Coast woman Samantha Myers has been battling a severe eating disorder for the past two years.
She has been in and out of hospital, but has just reached a milestone of having three months without an admission.
As part of her recovery, she had her heart set on buying a puppy to keep as a therapy dog, and decided a dachshund was the best choice as a companion.
“Firstly I reached out to breeders who were selling litters, but obviously because they are very expensive and I’m unable to work due to my health I explained my situation of how I wanted to do a payment plan for the puppy, but it just didn’t happen,” she said.
Ms Myers decided to put an ad on an online selling forum searching for a dachshund breeder, and was contacted privately by a man named John, who said he had a litter of puppies and was happy to do a payment plan.
The Courier-Mail has shared some of the conversations between Ms Myers and John, to show how he would ask for more money.
“I said in the ad that I was unwell and this dog would be a therapy dog for me,” Ms Myers said.
Even after explaining she had health issues, the scammer took advantage of her and even fooled her parents during regular phone calls to the family.
“That’s really where he got us, he would make contact every day over the phone and he was really lovely,” she said.
“It all happened super fast because my dad offered to pay for the puppy, which he did to surprise me, and the man kept saying there was no pressure and to only pay what we could afford at the time.
“My parents just wanted to make me happy so much, and that’s why it happened so fast because they knew getting this dog would help me.”
Soon after, the cracks began to show, with the scammer claiming he needed extra payments because previous deposits had bounced back from his account. He also asked for additional funds for the vet to microchip and vaccinate the dog.
When the time came for Ms Myers to pick up her puppy, the address he provided as his home belonged to a family who had no idea about the situation.
He delayed conversation with Ms Myers and claimed his wife had been in a car crash which landed her in a coma. After promising to deliver the puppy to her home address, he never showed up. He then blocked all contact from her.
All up she had paid the man $3250, which she won’t be able to get back from her bank.
“I kind of accepted it, but in saying that it was a really hard few days after that. Obviously my eating was terrible and it really set me back and I just couldn’t function, I was crying non stop,” she said.
“Some of my friends and a former colleague messaged me and asked if I had considered making a GoFundMe, and I thought it was really for people who are in desperate situations and I didn’t feel like that was me, but she said she wanted to support me and that others would too.”
Ms Myers did create a GoFundMe and has raised more than $2000, which has seen her able to put a deposit on a dachshund puppy through a registered breeder in Gympie.
“I never thought I would fall victim to a scam, I lost all trust and faith and I went into a very bad place,” she said.
“I’ve spoken to other people who said they’ve been in the same situation as me. He got me good, but not just me, he had my parents fooled too. He was that invested he got somebody to pose as a Vet. He wasn’t silly with how he went about it.”
Ms Myers has filed a report to police, and is urging others who may be looking online to buy a pet to make sure they ask for the breeder’s registration number, and to go and see the puppy before making a payment.
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Originally published as Woman loses $3000 in scam while trying to buy therapy dog
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