Pet scam

Fur parents be warned: in this country with the highest dog ownership in Asia, con artists are running not only love scams, but also pet scams. I was stupid enough to fall for one.

There were in fact red flags in the confidence game, which I overlooked probably because I was mourning the loss of my 19-year-old dog, and was in a rush to find a replacement. After briefly trying but failing to find anyone I know with a puppy to give away, I decided to go online.

I went through social media photos of puppies for sale, found one that I liked, with a Metro Manila address, and texted the phone number that was provided, inquiring about the dog.

There was a swift reply by Viber (first red flag that I missed), mostly in English. The guy said he wasn’t actually interested in getting money for his puppy, but mainly wanted to make sure the dog would find a nice forever home.

He sent me detailed questions about my home environment, my human companions and how I cared for my other pets. The questions indicated a person knowledgeable about dogs. There were no questions about financial details or personal data that may be used for identity theft, or for a burglary attempt. 

He expressed satisfaction over my answers, and said he would prepare a transfer of ownership. I asked when I could pick up the puppy. He said he recently got a better job that required him to move to Baguio (second red flag). I could meet up with him over the weekend, he said, so I could see the puppy and he could be reassured that his beloved pet would have a good new owner.

When I said I couldn’t, he said he could send the puppy by courier, with him providing the crate for the flight, also for free since he no longer needed it. He put me in touch with the courier company while he prepared the transfer of ownership.

A guy speaking English with a South Asian accent then gave me a call, introducing himself as the pet courier operator and telling me he would be sending me the courier service document shortly.

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I had an exchange of phone calls, email, text and Viber messages with this foreigner, who also showed knowledge about dog handling. He said the bill would include the shot needed to keep