Elderly Christchurch woman caught in puppy scam
Senior Constable Paul Hampton, pictured here at the front desk, gave Maggie his card which meant the store manager was able to call him when they suspected Maggie was being scammed again. Photo: Police
A Christchurch 78-year-old's search for a canine companion took a disappointing turn when she fell victim to an online scam, but her loss could have been much worse if not for an empathetic shop owner.
Maggie lives alone and has a hearing disability. She wanted to buy a puppy to keep her company and, like many others, began her search on Facebook Marketplace.
She found a Facebook Group advertising puppies for sale and struck up a conversation online.
Maggie then made two bank payments as requested to secure a puppy.
The seller made another request for money, so Maggie popped into her local police station for some advice and spoke to Senior Constable Paul Hampton.
'Unfortunately, falsely advertising puppies for sale is a very common scam,' says Hampton.
'I advised that she had been scammed and took a complaint recording the circumstances. I gave her my business card when she left.'
Maggie subsequently found another Facebook group selling puppies.
This time she was asked to make payment by purchasing Apple iTunes cards and supplying the hidden numbers.
She did as she was asked and purchased the iTunes cards from a service station.
She was then told that she needed to get more iTunes cards from another store.
This time, Maggie chose a store in Hornby Mall, which turned out to be a great choice due to its observant and sympathetic manager.
'Making payment with iTunes cards is another common scam,' says Hampton.
'But lucky for Maggie, the person she encountered at the store knew that.
'A big shout out to Simon Grant, manager of the store in Hornby Mall, who realised Maggie didn't know what iTunes cards were used for and was probably being scammed.
'When talking with Maggie, who has a hearing disability, he found my business card and gave me a call.'
Paul headed straight to the mall.
Simon happily refunded a previous mistaken gift card purchase and Paul accompanied Maggie to her bank who put in place security measures for future transactions.
'It's really great to see retailers looking out for their customers and protecting them against this kind of fraudulent activity," says Paul.
"Maggie did lose some money, but it could have been a whole lot worse if Simon hadn't acted on his suspicions.'
Police recommend the following safety tips if you're considering buying a puppy online:
Always buy from a reputable breeder or authentic seller if you can.
Ask to see the puppy first and meet in a public place if you are unable to go to their property.
Make sure a friend or family member is aware of the transaction details before you go.
Try to avoid making a transaction before meeting someone first and never deposit money into a person's account without viewing the puppy first
Trust your instincts, if it sounds like a scam, and it's too good to be true it probably is.
Remember, if something illegal is happening now, call 111. If it's already happened, you can provide information via the Police non-emergency number 105.
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