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Google Sues a Guy, Alleging 'Puppy Fraud'

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  • J

    Here’s an article that describes a guy using the internet to sell non existent puppies kinda like we’ve warned people to watch out for.

    Google Sues a Guy, Alleging 'Puppy Fraud'

    Google has sued a man for allegedly abusing its services to trick droves of would-be pet owners into forking over money for non-existent basset hound puppies.

    On Monday, the great and mighty search engine filed a lawsuit against Nche Noel Ntse, of Cameroon, accusing him of violating Google’s terms of service by using its platforms to engage in a vast “puppy fraud” conspiracy.…

    It continues via the link in the headline. Thanks Gizmodo!

    Don’t order your puppy off the internet. Network and contact a breeder. Call them, answer their 1,000 questions and then ask your own. Go visit them.

    6
  • RouxR

    @jengosmonkey While looking for a B breeder here I was subjected to SO MANY SCAMMERS! They were mostly on Facebook and I reported as many as I could. It's frustrating the number of cons but also frustrating the number of fools. Why don't people do their homework? Scammers are easy to spot as long as you know what questions to ask! Obviously if it's some sort of master con-artist, that's one thing, but those are few and far between from my many months of searching.
    Anyway, THANK YOU GOOGLE for shutting that guy down! Win!

    Michelle Chiang
    www.instagram.com/coconutroux

    2
  • tanzaT

    @roux - Agree, but the problem is that people do not research and these days are so used to buying on line... not sure why they believe that buying a live animal on line is the right thing to do, but that is the reality of the situation. It is too bad that FB does not take these scams as a real threat.. and will not remove them. And many of these scammers just change their url about every couple of months so it looks like a different person... sad as that is... Please pass this along to anyone on how to spot a scammer. This comes from the Basenji Club of Northern California... https://bconc.org/finding-breeders-red-flags

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    2
  • J

    The article articulated that many victims were older. I know a prosecutor who heads an elder fraud unit. Elders are preyed upon online constantly. We need to look out for them and coach them. Here’s my two cents… a puppy will turn into a 15 year commitment, hopefully. That’s a long time. I’d want to know that I was supporting the breed, supporting the standard, and getting a dog that isn’t affected by Fanconi or Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). Both are preventable.

    Networking, finding a breeder, talking to them take time and effort. Invest the time. Find one that you like and travel to them. If they say it isn’t convenient… that’s a HUGE RED FLAG! Never send money before you meet them. Never. Responsible breeders want to meet you. They will be there to coach you through soft stool, biting, nipping, pulling, chewing, etc. All the things that Basenjis go through. Responsible breeders are protective of the breed, the standard, their pups, and you. If they’re not move on. Find one that is.

    Basenjis are a special breed that take commitment. Responsible breeders know this! If they aren't interested in meeting you… RED FLAG!

    2
  • eeeefarmE

    I cannot imagine committing to buy a puppy without seeing the animal and if possible the sire and dam. OTOH, a rescue (or adoption of an older dog) is a different thing. My last two Basenjis came to me sight unseen, and turned out to be wonderful dogs, but the breeders I got them from wanted to place their dogs in an experienced Basenji home, and I only paid the cost of getting the dogs to me. One came by air, one was personally transported to me by his breeder. If she hadn't been happy with what she found I expect she would have taken him back with her when she left. I also had to commit to return him if ever I couldn't keep him. Good breeders care about where their dogs end up.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

    2

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    @dmcarty: OK this is where lots of people will get realy realy mad at me but I'm going to say it anyway. While I appreciate desire and any rescue or raid the puppy mill groups desire to save some animals in deplorable conditions - I keep coming back to the phrase, "unintended consequences". Because dogs were purchased at auction or out of a pet store or some place in deplorable conditions - you have increased the 'market' for that breed of dog. They (PM's) don't care about your kind heart, have little guilt about the conditions they were in - they know the dog was sold. Several years ago many in basenji rescue and BCOA were involved in a horrid situation in Kansas City. Placing a huge number of dogs - now many breeders have not bred in some time because there is no "market' for puppies from reputable breeders - some because they gave up homes that were on their lists to these rescues - some because they've taken in some of these dogs themselves and can't have any more dogs in their house. While it pains me to say this because I do have a heart - I think there is a point where because of our collective 'heart' we are making the problem worse. If there was not a 'market' for these animals - we would not have puppy mills. BTW - the only way you can even think about this is if you don't have your fur-baby on your lap. But do think about it a bit. I understand your stance on the puppy mill but these puppies were actually from the McMinn County Animal Shelter in Athens, TN. The deplorable conditions I described occurred at the shelter and while on transport with the shelter's volunteer to a rescue group. Even though this is a shelter run by a humane society the conditions there we overcrowded, dirty, and no better then a puppy mill. With that said, the volunteers who work there do the best they can with few resources and little or no knowledge about veterinary medicine. They do provide a service when in the month of June over 400 stray and surrendered pets were admitted to the shelter. If you've ever been to a country that lacks a system to deal with stray animals then the importance of such a system is apparent, regardless of the conditions found at the shelter. Who know's where the parents came from but in the south (as in much of the country) we have a large problem with the lack of spay and neutering. I actually paid $0 from the shelter to obtain the pups. Since they were headed for euthanasia the volunteers and animal control officer released them to me so I could provide them with medical care. More than likely these pups were from someones' dogs out in the country who weren't spayed or neutered and probably was allowed to run free. Who knows maybe the parents were from a backyard breeder or puppy mill but I would never advocate for people to pay a large sum of money for a purebred dog instead of a good ol mutt from the pound just because somewhere along the way a relative of that pound puppy might have been from someplace I don't support. Everybody has to make their own decision but I have trouble faulting the shelter and its volunteer workers when its the city, county, and federal government and its representatives who should do a better job providing the funding necessary to train competent workers and provide adequate housing conditions. In a rural county such as McMinn in Tennessee these resources are just not available.