Husky dog scam on Gumtree

[Nanny Ogg]

An Alis Peterson has been advertising a husky dog on Gumtree claiming she doesn't want it anymore as it reminds her of her dead daughter.
Its a classic "puppy scam".
An Edinburgh couple lost £150 they sent by Western Union
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topst ... 5549778.jp

Moved from News and Announcements - Ralph

[Ralph]

Hi Nanny

Thanks for posting

[Nanny Ogg]

Having a quick look around it seems there are a number of puppy scammers running ads on Gumtree in various cities throught the UK
They have offered Chihuahuas, Boxers, King Charles, Matlese, Beagles and so on free to good homes.
Then ask for money up front for transport.
And no puppy ever arrives.
There have been reports of ads placed in London then the sellers claims to be in Scotland.
The pictures they send are often stolen from reputable sites.

The advice is never part with money until you have seen the animal , no matter what the sob story.
Especially if it is asked for via Western Union which can be picked up ANYWHERE by ANYONE with the name/number and password

[The Enchantress]

Sound advice Nanny Ogg.

This from Gumtree;

http://www.gumtree.com/help/stay_safe

When buying or selling, you should meet in-person to see the item and exchange money. The purpose of the Gumtree “For Sale” category is to encourage face-to-face, local, trading. For personal ease and safety, always ensure you take someone with you. If you're answering a home service ad, ask the poster to produce identity and proof of qualification before inviting them into your home.

Never send your item before receiving the money

Never send or wire money to sellers or buyers. This includes never mailing a cheque or using payment services like Bidpay, Western Union or Money Gram to pay for items found on Gumtree. It is our belief that these forms of funds transfer are favoured by fraudsters.

Gumtree doesn’t offer any sort of buyer protection/ payment programs. Any emails you receive that talk about such systems are scams, even if they may have the Gumtree logo. If you receive any emails promoting these services, please report it to us.

Please also take special care when buying expensive items like mobile phones, laptops, plasma TVs, airline tickets and even tickets for shows/gigs. When buying airline tickets we suggest you take the seller's name and ticket number, check the ticket exists and take responsibility yourself for changing the names.

When buying tickets for events please be aware that some tickets may have terms printed on them that limit the ability of the original buyer to sell them to someone else. Some event tickets, e.g. Glastonbury Festival 2007, may also feature a photograph of the original buyer which may mean that anyone other than the original buyer may be refused entry to the event.

Never provide your personal or banking information (e.g. credit card number) to others over the Internet.

Make yourself aware of common scams and fraud - see our Scam Watch section. Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your help in any task.

Report to us any attempted fraud or suspicious emails, ads, or other activity by community members. In case of fraud or illegal activity, we also recommend that you report it to the Police.

Use common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.