Cats! We love’em. Well, lots of us do. But despite that urge for a cuddly companion to call your own, it’s good to remember that you should always be careful when buying pets from someone you don’t know. One woman looking to bring two new kittens into her home found that out the hard way when she sent $3,000 to a stranger, and got exactly zero cats in return.
The self-proclaimed cat fancier from Colorado has two cats but wanted to add another two to her home, admitting to 9 News, “I do love cats. These are my babies!”
She searched for kittens on a cat adoption website and found two potential sellers, one of which she decided sounded legit.
He was offering two sphynx kittens (almost hairless, funny ears, sometimes wear coats) and set an initial fee before asking for another thousand dollars to buy health insurance for the cats, as well as fees for things like a crate.
“It sounded like a good deal. It sounded really easy. I said I would go to Utah and he says, ‘Oh no.’ He has a special company that will bring them right to the door. And that’s where it began,” she explained.
So she cooperated and sent him about $3,000 tall told on a re-loadable debit card and later, Western Union. That’s when things got weird — the destination that popped up when she was sending those funds came up as Cameroon, in Africa.
She realized she’d been scammed, admitting that she was perhaps thinking with her heart, and not her brain.
“Well unfortunately a big heart doesn’t pay the bills,” she said, advising others not to send money to anyone who asks for it.
It’s always a good idea to remain vigilant — if someone requests money through Western Union or a reloadable card, don’t do it, especially for things like insurance, processing or paperwork. Ask for a phone number you can call to speak with someone in person at the business, and check out their past dealings with the local Better Business Bureau or the State Attorney General’s Office.
Or heck, head to a rescue shelter and pick up some new friends right away for free.
*Thanks for the tip, Joe!
Woman loses thousands to cat adoption scam [9 News]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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