Then came the signs that something just wasn’t right.
The “owner” first insisted upon a deposit, then wouldn’t communicate on the phone and was hesitant to meet in person.
Hughes later learned the puppy, which she had hoped to make part of her family, wasn’t real.
That was Hughes’ first introduction to the world of puppy scams, a crime that is claiming more victims as a growing number of families seek animals amid the pandemic. In fact, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro recently issued a warning about scams increasing in frequency, including “pet sale scammers” who are posing as online retailers, charging hundreds or thousands of dollars for a puppy or kitten, plus airline and transport fees.
NEW YORK Ben Black bought what he thought was a well-priced drone online. But the drone never showed up, the site stopped responding to his emails and he never got his $100 back.
Puppy scams soaring amid pandemic; Pa attorney general issues warning heraldmailmedia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heraldmailmedia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It looked like it was from UPS and it said we were unable to deliver your package. However, if you click on the following link you can look up the tracking information on that package and then you can reroute it back to your place. At that point, I clicked on the link and my screen started flashing, Hoehn said. The message said, You have been hacked. We have encrypted all of your files. Send, I think it was like 150 bitcoins to this address.
A fake shipping link can launch ransomware like it did for Hoehn, or it can redirect to a counterfeit branded page that asks for credit card or personal information to reroute a package, or tricks you into entering your username and password.