OXFORD, Miss. — Police in Oxford, Mississippi warn this is often the season for scams, and they don’t want people to fall for one that offers adorable puppies for sale on Facebook.
The warning comes after a couple in Florida thought they were purchasing dogs from a breeder in Oxford. But the company is “100% a scam,” police said.
“Scams really ramp up during the holidays and we want to make sure that people are aware of that and try to protect themselves.,” said Breck Jones, public information officer for Oxford Police.
That’s why the department posted a warning for people not to be scammed by a Facebook site named Pocket Pups Inc.
Jones said a couple in Florida tried to purchase a dog they thought was in Oxford. The seller had them pay a shipping fee, but the dog never came.
Jones said law enforcement in Florida contacted them about the scam, but investigators have found no connection to Oxford.
Jones doesn’t know exactly how much money the couple in Florida lost on the scam, but Aynslee Smith, the president of Oxford-based animal rescue Mississippi Critterz, said these type of puppy scams aren’t new, and rely on dog lovers to send payement sight unseen.
She strongly recommends you do a background check before you decide to buy a puppy online.
That’s good advice, said Carly Russell, who purchased her Goldendoodle Goose from an online site, but not before seeing the dog in-person.
“It makes me sad for people who are trying to find a dog and find a companion that have like, lost out on that opportunity in like these kind of scam situations,” she said.
Contact Oxford Police at 662-232-2400 if you feel you’re being scammed.