THORNTON, Colo. — An American hero who fought overseas is now fighting a new battle against scammers.
Alfy Martinez was a soldier who fought in Somalia and Haiti in the 1990s and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
After losing two boxer dogs last year, he decided to adopt two French bulldog puppies for therapy. Martinez logged on to puppyfind.com and found a man who was selling two for $900.
“[It was] a total scam. I got ripped off for $1,700,” Martinez said.
Over text messages, the seller kept telling Martinez the puppies would cost a little bit more. First there was an added cost for a special crate, then an additional insurance fee and at one point the seller told Martinez he was “abusing the animals” because he wasn’t giving extra money.
“He basically said he was going to press charges against us for animal cruelty and animal abandonment,” Martinez said.
Martinez sent $1,700 through Western Union. The money is gone and so too is his faith with online sellers.
“Very stressful. Very, very stressful,” Martinez said.
One thing Martinez wishes he would’ve done is Googled the sender’s phone number. Had he done that, he would have seen the number is associated with a scam.
Don’t get scammed
Puppyfind.com offered advice:
*Email may be the initial form of contact when locating a Breeder through the site. This should not be the only form of contact. Once you have your initial questions answered and feel you want to move forward with the purchase of the puppy, ask for a phone number to talk to the Breeder. If they refuse to give a phone number or they state that their phone is out of service, walk away from the sale.
*Avoid sending money through Western Union. There is no way to protect the funds in case a problem of fraud arises.
*Every listing on the site will show the location of the Breeder. The location is something that the Breeder designates upon their account creation. If they ask you to send money to another country (i.e. Nigeria, Africa, London, etc.), or even a different state than the one shown on the listings, discontinue the purchase and report them to PuppyFind.
*Ask the Breeder to send additional pictures of the puppy you are interested in. Require a specific item to be in the photo, like a soda can or your name on a piece of paper. If they refuse to send additional pictures or state their camera is broken and are unable to send additional pictures, discontinue the sale.
*Once you have determined that the Breeder you have chosen has the puppy you want, ensure that you have a clearly defined contract prior to the purchase of the dog. The contract should specifically state what dog you are going to receive, what registration, if any, you will receive and the timeframe to receive the registration papers, what type of health guarantee comes with the dog and what is the process of reimbursement and/or return if the dog is sick, etc. Most contracts will state that you need to have the pup seen by a vet within a specific timeframe. A clearly defined, signed, contract will protect both the Buyer and the Breeder and will avoid any problems that could arise from miscommunication. If you or the Breeder make an agreement that is not included within the contract, get it in writing.
*Save a copy of the contract along with a printout of the listing for your records.