Investigators with the Scarsdale Police Department received a complaint from a village resident late last week who advised that weeks earlier, she began the process of purchasing a Cavapoo dog online.
Police said that the woman had multiple conversations with the seller through text messages, emails, and phone calls, culminating with her sending $750 to the scammer’s “business partner” through Zelle, which was delivered on Monday, Jan 25.
It is alleged that the woman had a few more conversations with the seller, who stated that they were having difficulty with their bank account, but would still send the dog on a plane on Thursday, Jan. 28.
When the woman backtracked and said both over the phone and in emails that she no longer wanted the dog, she requested a full refund, which was not granted. Police said that the woman stated that the seller now has ceased all contact with her and there was never any refund provided.
According to police, the investigation into the fraud determined that there have been previous reports of similar incidents on the same website, which turned out to be a scam site.
Police said that the woman is still in contact with her bank attempting to get the money back, but has not been refunded as of Monday, Feb. 1. Anyone who believes they may have been the victim of a similar fraud has been advised to contact their local police department.
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