Action 9 warns of online puppy scam after woman is tricked out of $1,000

CHARLOTTE — Action 9 has a warning about buying puppies online after a woman says her mother paid $1,000 for one but it was never delivered.

Nella Dudova says her mother lost her two dogs more than a year ago. She felt the time was right to get a new pet and a quick Google search led to the website michaeldreamchihuhuapuppies.com.

“She really loves taking care of her dogs, and they’re basically like babies to her,” Dudova said.

She says the website was “actually really well put together.”

A dog named Sara stood out to her mother. She says her mom exchanged emails with someone who sent more photos of Sara and some videos. Her mom signed a contract to buy Sara and wired $1,000 to someone.

But then, Dudova was scrolling through photos of chihuahuas on social media and found the same photos of Sara that were posted two years ago on Instagram.

She began to suspect they’d been scammed.

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“My mom, she’s not easily manipulated, but she really likes to trust people,” she said. “At this point, I was like, this is most definitely a scam but let’s kind of see where it goes.”

It didn’t go anywhere.

The day Sara was supposed to arrive, someone contacted Dudova’s mother demanding another $1,500 for delivery.

She didn’t pay it after realizing the cute puppy she saw on the website would not be her puppy.

“It was sad seeing her that way … she’s trying to start up a new part of her life and she didn’t get to do that,” Dudova said.

Holly Salmons, president of the Better Business Bureau, says if the seller is asking for a deposit before you’ve seen the puppy or the pet in person, that should be a red flag.

The BBB says it’s received several complaints about the website from people saying they paid money but the dogs were never delivered.

The company has not responded to requests for comments.

Fortunately, the bank did refund Dudova’s mother $1,000.

Experts recommend that if you are looking for a pet to buy one locally, always see the animal in person first, and get a clear understanding of the full cost so there aren’t any last-minute surprises.

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