VISTA, Calif. — A Vista-based dog breeder said a scammer is stealing pictures of her puppies and using them to steal money from unsuspecting victims who think they are buying the advertised puppy.
Cathy West with Double Barrel Griffons Flatbrook Sporting Dogs said her puppies are sold before they're born — and she has never advertised puppies for sale since owners are predetermined before birth. Her friend alerted her to the scam, West said.
"There was a private Facebook page that had used my photos, changed the language on my post and said puppies were available."
West says she reported that page to Facebook and it was removed. Then she got another message online.
"They found my photos on another Facebook page and had actually given people money," she said. "I felt violated. Not only were they using my puppy photos, but also used a photo of my husband and I at a football game, completely unrelated to dogs."
West says she's found several cases of her dog's pictures falsely being used online in expensive puppy scams claiming the dogs are for sale for as much as $1,500.
Her dogs from Double Barrel Griffons range from $3,000 to $3,500.
"This is the same person that just this past week has a Facebook group with 3.4k members and they were using photos of my adult dogs as their cover photo and they advertised that they have puppies for sale."
A San Diego Sheriff's Department spokesperson says West did the right thing by reporting the fake sellers to Facebook.
Here are some tips they provided to help people better protect themselves from puppy scammers:
- Always evaluate any ad with a healthy dose of skepticism.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Never provide personal information.
- They should never send money without seeing the item/product/animal in person.
- If local, ask to meet with them to see the item or pet before any funds are transferred.
- Meet somewhere in public for safety purposes.
- Avoid taking cash. Use cash apps.
- If using cash apps, never use the family/friend button. You are not covered for fraudulent purchases when sending money that way.
West also offered tips for those in the market for a forever friend:
- Check breed registries like the American Kennel Club or the United Kennel Club.
- Attend dog shows in person like ones in Del Mar or Valley Center to find ethical, responsible breeders.
San Diego County animal shelters are also in a crisis due to overcrowding. They are encouraging people to adopt from shelters to help.
WATCH RELATED: Shelter dog overcrowding hits crisis levels at County Animal Services shelters