Scammers offer puppies for sale online

Fraudulent websites shut down after News 6 investigation

DELTONA, Fla. – When Herb Viola's long-time pet pug, named Jojo, died few years ago, the dog owner was heartbroken.

"Ever see a big grown man cry his eyes out?," asked Viola.
"It was hard."

Recently, Viola began looking for a new pug puppy that resembled his late friend.

He specifically wanted a female less than a year old with particular facial features.

After 10 months of unsuccessfully searching animal shelters and pug rescue organizations, Viola decided to shop for a new dog online using an internet search engine.

"I typed in 'pug puppies for sale,' and that's how I came up with that website," he said.

The website, charmingpugpuppieshome.com, featured photos and descriptions of dozens of puppies available for purchase.

As Viola scrolled down the images of available pugs, one particular puppy, named Niki, caught his eye.

"It was so cute," he said.
"It looked fluffy. Its face was right. Eyes. Everything. It was perfect."

Yet two months after Viola paid the online retailer more than $400 for the pug, he still has not received the puppy.

"He ripped me off," said Viola.

"People work hard of their money. For what? To be scammed?"

Viola first contacted the seller using an online form embedded on the website.


That seller, who claimed to be a dog breeder named Ernest Baldwin, soon responded with several emails describing how to complete the sale.

In one message, Baldwin explained that Viola's new puppy would be flown to Orlando International Airport using a shipping company called Bonav Logistics.

The seller included a link to the shipping company's extremely elaborate website, which indicated the shipper specializes in transporting live animals.

When Viola called a phone number listed on the shipping company's website, he said someone claiming to be an employee of Bonav Logistics confirmed that a shipping order had been placed to transport Viola's dog.

However, a News 6 investigation has revealed that Bonav Logistics does not exist.
Records showed the Bonav Logistics website was registered in September 2016 using the same email address that was also used to register the fraudulent dog breeder's website two months later.

Whoever created the Bonav Logistics website appears to have stolen and duplicated almost the entire website of a legitimate shipping company, Gelders Forwarding, based in The Netherlands.

Gelders Forwarding Managing Director Francois Verhaart, whose photograph and biography appear on both websites, told News 6 his company has no affiliation with Bonav Logistics.
He said he was not aware of the nearly identical website until News 6 brought it to his company's attention.

Among the few differences between the two websites are the companies' names, logos, and phone numbers, including the one Viola called to confirm the shipment of his puppy.

"It looked to me like it was totally legit," said Viola.

Besides the bogus shipping company and pug puppy sale websites, records showed someone using the same email address also registered several other website domain names.
Those websites offered other breeds of dogs for sale, including German shepherds, Goldendoodles and pit bulls.

All of those website domain names were registered through Arizona-based GoDaddy.
The internet company also hosted at least two of the questionable websites on its servers, according to a GoDaddy spokesman.

"We do not allow scammers to be on our services," said GoDaddy public relations director Nick Fuller.

"If a customer feels they have been scammed by a website hosted by GoDaddy, they should immediately contact law enforcement," said Ben Butler, the director of the company's digital crimes unit.
"Law enforcement agencies can contact us directly, and we can discuss how best to address the specific situation."

Days after News 6 contacted GoDaddy, the websites for Bonav Logistics and several of the dog sellers were taken offline and are no longer accessible.

Fuller did not respond to multiple emails from News 6 inquiring about the removal of those websites.

"Beware.
Be very aware," said Viola, who does not believe he will ever get his money back from the pug puppy website.

In one of the early emails, the seller asked Viola to electronically wire $429 using Ria Financial Services, a money transfer company that operates out of some Walmart stores.

Viola said he was originally not concerned that the online dog seller refused to accept a check or credit card payment.

"There are people who just want to have cash," he said.
"When I bought my first puppy, she took cash."

Ria Financial Services and other money transfer companies warn customers to be careful when wiring funds electronically.

Western Union recommends customers never wire money to people they haven’t met in person or to make online purchases.

In one of the last email exchanges with the seller, Viola was told he would need to wire an additional $1,300 to pay for “refundable” shipping insurance.
That’s when he knew for certain he had been scammed.

“How many people must have paid that?” Viola wonders.
“There are a lot of people out there who are probably not getting a dog.”

Viola eventually purchased a pug puppy from a local breeder, which he named Niki, after the fake dog he attempted to buy online.
But the retiree still gets angry when he thinks about the scammer who took more than $400 from him.

“He really is a dirtbag,” said Viola.
 


About the Author:

Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter Mike DeForest has been covering Central Florida news for more than two decades.

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