Victim Location 10475
Total money lost $1,041
Type of a scam Online Purchase
Good afternoon,
My husband, who is a retired Veteran wanted to get our 8 year old son a kitten for Christmas. We found a listing on New York Craigslist for a Ragdoll kitten, which is the exact kitten our son wanted. We contacted the supposed breeder on December 13th and he confirmed that he still had a kitten available.
After inquiring about the the age, needs, etc of the kitten, the "breeder" asked if we would like to pick up the kitten or have the kitten delivered. Since we live 6 hours away from the "address" he provided in Massena, NY, we opted for delivery.
The "breeder" sent me an adoption contract which I signed and returned. We also sent a $200.00 deposit on December 15th.
We chose December 24th as the delivery date and I stayed in contact with the breeder, Dare Pratt, throughout the 2 weeks.
On December 24th, the "breeder" sent me the courier information as well as the tracking information. The courier called me to confirm the time. The "breeder" then asked for the remainder of the fee, which is $216.00. I paid the fee.
The courier then sends me an email stating that the carrier is not adequate for the kitten to travel and for me to pay for a temperature controlled crate , which cost $625.00 which would be refunded once the kitten was delivered.
We paid the fee to the courier. The courier then emailed me to state that we need pet insurance for $950.00. At this point, I knew something was up, so I contacted the Massena airport to find out about pet insurance and researched pet insurance online and responded to the courier that this was not mandatory. The courier informed me to contact the breeder. I explained the situation to the "breeder" and he informed me that he’s never had a problem with the courier before and asked if I can pay half and he’ll pay half. I informed him that pet insurance is not required, so I am not paying.
At this point, the courier stopped answering my calls. I emailed the "breeder" to let him know and he stopped responding.
I then contacted the FTC.gov website and petscams website, as well as file an internet complaint.
I contacted CashApp and our bank to see if we could get our money back. We were scammed a total of $1,041.00, and were unable to get our son any other gift as at this point it was 10pm on Christmas Eve.
As a military family, we are on a limited income.