How much is that doggy in the e-mail?
By Staff
Jason Cannon, FCT Publisher
There are crooks everywhere and I mean every where.
I may get anywhere from 10-20 emails per week advertising puppies. They reek like a scam so I delete them.
Last week, I got curious and replied to two from my personal email, saying I'd seen the ad in my local newspaper and was interested in buying one.
Of course, they replied eager to unload the poor puppy.
While both were the same kind of scam, both conversations went in totally different directions.
In the first, the person who originally emailed me said he sold the puppy last week but directed me to the person that bought it.
The guy had undergone a change in job status and couldn't afford to keep him. Apparently, it's against some kind of rule for a minister to have a dog in Nigeria.
I told the guy I really wanted the dog for Christmas, so he sent me a photo of the English Bulldog puppy he'd named Dolly.
The problem is, he sent me a photo of a Pug with the name Milly underneath it.
He did that on purpose, although he never told me why and has yet to send me a picture of Dolly. However, he does send me emails almost daily asking if I've sent the money.
The second guy was much more aggressive. When I asked if he still had the dog, he replied "yes" and asked for my credit card number.
I've been corresponding with these guys for a little over a week and I can tell you, they are quite humorous.
When one asked me what my address was, I told him I had a P.O. Box and asked would the puppy fit in a P.O. Box.
He assured me it would and asked for my credit card number again.
Both of the dog-lovers are based outside of the U.S. – one in Canada and the other in Nigeria. Ask any law enforcement officer what two countries are responsible for the bulk of Internet and phone scams and most will name these two.
Without coming out and calling these guys crooks, I've made it as obvious as I can that I'm not going to buy these dogs but I still get emails saying what a good dog-owner I would be and how much it would love to live with me.
I would just like to give you guys a word of warning that I'm sure most of you already know. There are millions of people out there looking to make a quick buck at the expense of someone just like me and you.
So, if you get an email from Yusuffo Motola, Rev. Paul Duke, Larry Johnson or Pantri Cools, asking you to buy a dog, rest assured it is a scam.
If they ask how you know, please tell them Merry Christmas and that you read it in your newspaper.
