Sweetestpetshome.com

Victim Location 22802

Total money lost $750

Type of a scam Online Purchase

The website, sweetestpetshome.com, was posing as a dog breeder, specifically for Siberian Husky puppies. The website had six puppies posted, with one photo, name, short description, and price per puppy. Each puppy was listed at $650. The phone number was posted at the top of the page. We reached out to the phone number regarding a specific puppy listed and further information on how we could proceed. They replied quickly and informed us that the puppy could only be shipped through major airlines and the payment could be sent through Paypal. On the website, there was a large section dedicated to assuring the consumer that shipping the dog would be safe and guaranteed. There were several red flags regarding this purchase, and the "shipping only" rule was the first of many. Next, we asked if we could see multiple photos/videos of the puppy we were purchasing. Note that we had to ask for the bare minimum: multiple photos, veterinary/diet information, and general information regarding the puppy and the overall process. This alone should have been an large indication of a scam. Every time we had doubt about the purchase, we would reassure ourselves through the somewhat reputable website. Quite literally, the scammer had very poor communication. We had to reach out to them to have any information regarding the payment and the puppy. They would often not answer for hours at a time, and then message back with a very vague, generic response (plus broken English & poor grammar). Once the purchase was completed through Paypal on a Friday evening, we had to wait until the following Monday to receive further information. We asked several questions between Friday and Monday and got very vague responses and were told to wait until Monday. Once Monday arrived, the scammer then asked for an additional $950 for "insurance". At this point we knew it was absolutely a scam and immediately reported it to Paypal.