Scam Type
Online Purchase Scam
Date Reported
2022-12-28 00:00:00
Victim Postal Code
79912
Total Dollars Lost
2800
Scam Description
I recently was scammed by this company after purchasing a dog.
[12/22, 12:23am – 2:20am] After much research on Facebook, I found an add of a German Sheppard breeder by the name of Scott Armelia who was giving 9 week old puppies for adoption, and was only requesting the money for shipping. This person made many questions to insure I was the right fit for the puppy. We ended up proceeding with the adoption process and was asked $400 dollars for shipping. After the transaction was done, this person agreed to take their puppy to the delivery agency as soon as possible.
[12/22, 7:04am – 9:40am] Early in the morning Scott Armelia started texting me to ensure I has received an email confirmation from the company Smart Shipping Agency. This email provided a tracking number and claimed that their carrier was FedEx; they were asking for a $2,400 dollar deposit in cash (fully refundable) as the cage the puppy was put into was not suitable and they would need to provide a proper one. After telling them this was an unreasonable request as I was not located in the state the puppy was getting shipped from, they insisted on me transferring the full amount to the seller so they could deposit the money and I would be refunded in cash after receiving my puppy. Through this whole processed I was pressured into getting ready quickly and get out of work to make transactions fast as I was told I could risk the well-being of the puppy. As this was something important to me, I deposited the money hesitantly. In a matter of minutes I received a confirmation from the company with payment and an arrival time for the puppy.
A few hours later I then again receive an email from the company stating that they noticed that the puppy didn’t have travel insurance and it would be a (again, fully refundable) charge of $5,000 dollars. I then let them know that I apologized as I didn’t have the money and if I was told from the beginning they would request this much money I wouldn’t have proceeded with the puppy; asked for a refund and for the puppy to be returned to their original owner. I was told that the refund was only given after the puppy was delivered, and sense this was not the case, the money would be used for the puppy as he would be redirected to a rescue center. I was also told that I would be sued for being irresponsible and asked to not purchase a puppy if I didn’t have the money. Finally, I was told that they would not be jeopardizing their company with my frustration.
After later contacting FedEx, I came to find out their company does not ship live animals whatsoever.
The initial $400 dollars were asked through Zelle, but the transaction ended up being through CashApp. The $2,400 transaction was tried through CashApp (divided on dispersed amounts), then Moonpay, and finally ended up taking cash out from bank and purchasing bitcoin directly to their account in a bitcoin atm.
