MANCHESTER, NH — Police are warning residents to be wary of online and phone scams after a city man got scammed over a phantom puppy.
On October 16, 2019, Manchester Police took a report of a possible scam involving an online sale of a puppy. The alleged victim told police he found a puppy on a website, agreed to pay $549 for the animal and wired the money through Western Union. The animal was to be shipped by plane from Charlotte, NC.
On October 15, 2019 he received a call from someone claiming to work for the delivery service who said the crate the puppy arrived at the airport in was too small and a larger one was required. The cost was close to $1,000 including fees and was to be refunded upon pick up. After wiring the money, the reporting party started to get suspicious and called the airport. Airport personnel had no information about a puppy being shipped to his location. In all nearly $1,700 was wired and no puppy was ever delivered.
Manchester Police are warning people to do some research before sending money. It is best to meet the seller in person, but if you can’t, make sure you can verify there really is a physical address for the business you are buying from. Don’t just send money upfront, and if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
