Scam Type
Online Purchase Scam
Business Name Used
Pet Scam
Date Reported
July 04, 2024
Postal Code
33455
Total Dollars Lost
$ 0
Scam Description
I wanted to purchase a Ragdoll kitten and I thought this site had rescued kittens that needed to be rehomed. I filled out an application that was quickly accepted and then filled out and signed an adoption agreement that seemed legitimate. I was told the kitten was $400 and I could have it sent by courier from NC to FL for an additional $200 – the kitten would be neutered, have a health guaranty, two weeks’ worth of food, a litterbox and be accompanied by a person. There were several issues with the method of payment, which should have been a red flag, but I was grieving from the recent loss of my cat to cancer and didn’t pick up on them. First I paid through PayPal using the “gift & services” category, and they refunded that amount and asked me to use “friends & families” (not protected), so I paid again, but they also refunded that amount saying they couldn’t get any money out of PayPal and could I use Zelle. I was given their Zelle information but my bank flagged it (this had happened before to me with my accountant, so I didn’t think much of it), so they created a new PayPal account and once again I paid. I was given confirmation that they received the $600 but they stated their account was blocked – they asked me if I could please send them $200 through “Chime” so that they could buy “food stuffs” for the kitten, and I ignored it. I was asked again about more money, which I ignored. The kitten was supposed to arrive on July 3, and the morning of July 3, I received an email from Gateway Logistics containing a tracking code for the kitten. I was shocked. I contacted our IT department at work to check the link, and I was told it was legit and it appeared that I would be getting a kitten. (I stayed in contact with them for the sole purpose of trying to get them to refund my money, trying to get them to believe I would immediately send it through Zelle once the refund came through, but they didn’t believe that.) I thought at this point that I was going to receive some sort of cat and then I received a text from 747-216-2957 saying they were Gateway Logistics and that for the pet’s safety there is a mandatory crate that must be purchased for $499 but that I would get $481 of that back once the kitten was delivered and they could verify that the crate wasn’t damaged. I said I was not told about this extra fee, I had no control over the condition of the crate, and I was not paying it. I then received an email from “Gateway Logistics” saying the same thing about the crate, which I ignored. Then I received both a text from the 747# and an email from Ragdoll Rescue asking if I had gotten in touch with the delivery service. I said I was feeling sick to my stomach and thought this was a scam and that they would have had the carrier already set in place prior to delivery and they would get no more money from me. They became very defensive, “This isn’t a scam okay We have your kitten at our custody and from the scams I have seen they are not able to provide the actual package. But at this level your breeder have brought your pet to us and we are waiting on getting the crate to proceed with getting your kitten to you.” I did not respond. I had already disputed this latest $600 transaction with PayPal even though it isn’t protected, so I then blocked both of the phone numbers and the emails. PayPal told me today that they have refunded my money – I’m so relieved. But the emotional trauma I went through was horrible, and these people knew that I was still literally crying daily about the loss of my cat. This kitten was giving me hope.
