Victim Location 39056
Total money lost $800
Type of a scam Online Purchase
I found an ad on the Internet for a Sheltie for sale. I sent an inquiry through the website. The scammed sent me a reply that she had 2 Sheltie puppies for sale, a male and female. She said that the dogs belonged to her mother who had recently died, and she brought the puppies back to her home, but she needed to find homes for them because she and her husband worked and could not take care of them. I asked for pictures, and she sent them via email. I chose the female and asked for instructions to get it. I was told that she was giving me the puppy, but I needed to pay the transportation company for getting her to me. The next morning, she sent me a text message telling me that she had left the puppy at the delivery agency. I received an email from Pets Relocatingltd with instructions to wire money to their supervisor Josh Hill. The letter said that the puppy was healthy and ready to ship. I wired the money via Western Union, and notified the company and Ms. Gaciah that it been done. About an hour later, I received another from the service stating the puppy need to be vaccinated and had the wrong type of kennel to fly. They wanted me to pay an additional $200 for the vaccination. I also was told that she needed an air-conditioned kennel for transport, and I could pay an $1500 which they would refund me to rent their kennel, and, when the puppy was delivered to my door, the money for rental would be refunded. I refused to pay for either charge. I received emails, texts from Mrs. Gaciah, and phone calls from the delivery agency telling me that I must pay the fees or I would be charged with pet abandonment with a $20,000 fine and jail time. I told them to contact Ms.Gaciah to come get the puppy and to refund my money. I referred emails the next day stating that they were going to refund my money if I would provide them the Google voice verification code which was sent to me from an Ohio number. I refused since that would have given them access to my phone and all my info. I told them that I wanted my money refunded via a cashier’s check. They had my address, so that should not be a problem. I have stayed in touch with Ms. Gaciah to gain additional information from her. She stated that she wanted my husband and I to come get the puppy. I requested an updated photo and/or video of the puppy, and that request was ignored more than once. She stated that she had lost her job several days later. After several days, she began asking me to give her a Google voice verification code which was sent to my phone. I refused. She then requested that I loan her money, which I refused multiple times. She later said that her daughter had died and she was the one caring for the puppies. I told her that was not her original story and sent her a copy of the email she had sent regarding her mother’s death. She said that she was a single mother and needed my help. I told her to go to local agencies for assistance or file bankruptcy. I asked her how old she was, and she replied 52. I believe that her name is incorrect, the address given to me is fake, and the age she gave me is incorrect. I don’t know if I dealt with 1 or 2 scammers.I have the text messages as records, emails from both her and the delivery service, and all phone numbers from which I received calls. When I googled her phone number, multiple ads for dogs and birds came up being sold all over the nation. I believe that her last name is Cacia or Garcia.