A Saanich, B.C., woman looking to buy a puppy online fell deep into a scammer's plot and lost thousands of dollars in the process, according to Saanich police.
In early December, a Facebook Marketplace add caught the attention of a South Island animal lover. She connected with what she thought was a dog breeder looking to sell a Maltese puppy.
After being directed to what looked like a legitimate website with images of the dog, the Saanich woman transferred cash to the fake breeder.
Shortly after the money was sent, the scammer began to ask for more funds for things like vaccinations and licences. The woman obliged, but soon the situation turned more serious.
The scammer began threatening to harm the puppy if the woman didn’t send more money, police said.
"These scammers often resort to threats to defraud their victims of as much of their money as possible," said Saanich police spokesperson Const. Markus Anastasiades.
Becoming skeptical of the money transfers, the woman’s financial institution alerted her to the fact she was likely being scammed, according to police.
The victim quickly confronted the fake breeder through Facebook, but the scammer then demanded she purchase pre-paid Visa gift cards and send them or else they would call the police on the victim.
"We have recently started to see these altered gift cards being reported to police, which demonstrates the level at which these criminals will go to defraud the general public," said Anastasiades.
The woman bought 15 gift cards and sent them to the illegitimate dog breeder.
Saanich police are recommending anyone wanting to buy a puppy or other pet do so with a local, reputable breeder.
Investigators have not said exactly how much money the woman lost in the scam over several weeks, but said thousands of dollars were lost.
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