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SAN JOSE, Calif. (6/13/07)--Forget damsels in distress--scammers now use pictures of puppies to pull at victims' heart strings and con consumers out of their money (San Jose Mercury News May 29).
The scams are like Nigerian advance-fee scams--which have been around for years--except with the face of a puppy. Advertisements for free bulldog puppies are listed on websites, MySpace pages and in newspaper classifieds. Scammers--posing as breeders--claim the puppies are stuck one way or another in Nigeria or elsewhere. They offer the puppies free or heavily discounted, provided buyers shell out money for shipping and other fees. As you might guess, the puppies never arrive, and victims lose their money (American Kennel Club and the Council of Better Business Bureaus May 29).
The scammers are skilled at acting sincere and convince victims that they love the dogs. Pictures of puppies tug at victims' emotions, making them more vulnerable to fall for the scam. People who have been conned say they are concerned about the puppies' welfare, but in reality there are no puppies--scammers lift photos from other websites.
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