Thivesan G

Pet scammers

On 10 July 2021 I saw the ad online when searching for puppies for sale. I contacted his number indicated in the ad and asked about the availability of an 8 week old female Dachshund called "Duky". The breeder identified himself as Chris and told me it was available. On 12 July 2021 he sent me more pictures of the dog but indicated that all of her documents will be put in the crate with her to be delivered. He said he was based in East London and the courier company would contact me the next morning to arrange for delivery. I made payment of R3950 on the evening of 12 July 2021 to secure this dog but never received her due to further issues experienced by the courier company. He did not respond to my messages requesting a refund since he did not deliver the puppy. On the morning of 13 July 2021 I received an email from a company called Sky Net Courier Service Inc. They claimed to be a travel agency specialised for the transportation of pets nationally and internationally. They provided me with a tracking number and flight details as well as an accurate description of the dog to be delivered. They indicated that the flight was scheduled to depart at 12:50pm and arrive in Johannesburg at 15:25pm. The email also stated that they need to put the dog in a temperature regulated crate since the one the breeder provided was not suitable. The crate required a R15,000 deposit which was fully refundable on delivery of the dog. In addition to this they required a rental fee of R750 for the crate as well as R500 to give the dog a food and energizer vaccine. I paid the amount of R16,250 in the hope that this dog would now be ready for its flight. At 13:36 pm that same day I received a further email from the above-mentioned courier company informing me that pet insurance is outstanding for this dog and they cannot deliver this dog without the 24 hour pet insurance. After phoning the number in the email it was stated that I could not get an other insurance policy as it will not meet their requirements. The insurance amount was stated at R35,500 and was also fully refundable upon delivery of the dog. It was then that I suspected this is a scam and I refused to pay the amount of R35,500 for the pet insurance. The courier company manager who also identified himself as Chris tried his best to persuade me to pay for this insurance and even said that the dog would have to be sent to the shelter and I may be liable for animal cruelty charges. I instructed him to arrange for this dog to be sent to the shelter and he confirmed that they will refund me the deposit for the crate being R15,000 upon them receiving the crate after leaving the dog at the shelter. He said that the refund would be made to me on the morning of 15 July 2021. He also said that details of the animal shelter will be forwarded to me. On the evening of 14 July 2021 he confirmed via telephonic call that he received the crate and the refund will be made the next morning. When asked why there would be a delay in payment and what proof can I get for the payment to be made he got aggressive with me and raised his voice. On the morning of 15 July 2021 I tried contacting him as well as the breeder but neither of them answered my calls. I then decided to open a case of fraud at my local SAPS to this effect. It seems like both the breeder and courier company were in on this scam.