SPOKANE, Wash. --- The Better Business Bureau is warning people of a pug puppy for sale scam based in Spokane.
There is little denying the preciousness of pug puppies. Spokane scammers seem to know that and they took advantage of a man living in the Midwest.
Anthony Jones lives in Missouri. Jones has wanted a pug since he was a kid.
Jones found a Spokane-based site, Morgan Pug Puppies, and was shocked to find pugs for 95 dollars.
Jones placed his order for his new pug, but was then contacted by the owner of Morgan Pug Puppies. The owner told Jones that he would need to pay 300 dollars or his puppy would not be shipped.
The 300 dollar fee was not listed anywhere in the agreement, which led Jones to contact the BBB. The BBB confirmed that Morgan Pug Puppies was a scam.
According to the BBB, in the Northwest alone, pet scams bring in an average of 3,000 dollars a month. In this case, Morgan Pug Puppies took advantage of someone 1,500 miles away from Spokane.
The BBB said there are measures you can take to prevent becoming a victim.
First, dig deeper into the website. Copy and paste a line from that site into a search engine. If several exact sentences and pictures pop up on other sites, the BBB said it is probably a scam.
Also try to visit the breeder. If you cannot get to them, ask the business owner for references of other customers.
If you are still unsure, ask for a real, personalized photo of the pet you want. For example, have the business owner write a name on the sheet of paper and put it next to the animal in the photo.
The BBB confirmed with KREM that Morgan Pug Puppies is under investigation and is awaiting a response from the company.