February 20, 2007

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  NEWS: Credit Card Used to Trace "Puppy" Scammer

  A crook apparently based out of the Philippines took out ads recently in at least ten Wisconsin newspapers advertising puppies for sale, in what looks like an attempt to lure the hapless into wiring them funds. The suspicious ads first appeared in the Wausau Daily Herald, advertising AKC-certified breeds at prices much lower than what the pooches normally sell for. Interested would-be buyers were told to wire money to the "seller," with the promise that the dog would then be shipped. Similar ads were placed in all the newspapers based out of Gannett, Wisconsin, as well as in other papers around the state, including Appleton Post-Crescent, Sheboygan Press, Oshkosh Northwestern, and The Reporter of Fond du Lac. A sample ad offered an English bulldog pup (which normally cost between $1,500 and $2,500) for $500, with a yahoo.com e-mail address for replies. The seller instructed those who inquired to use money-wiring service Western Union to send him/her the funds.
  
  The ads first came to the attention of Fond du Lac police when a reader of The Reporter called in inquiring about the suspicious-sounding ads. The police contacted the classified department of the paper, who turned over the credit card information with which the seller had paid for the ad to the authorities. The card used was found to be stolen, with a fake address and fax number, and information traced to the Philippines. The yahoo.com e-mail address was in the process of being traced. It was quickly discovered that all the similar ads placed in the other newspapers were traceable to the same –fake- source. The ads were pulled, and police are currently investigating the scam. Luckily, it seems that no one has lost money as a result of the ads.
  
  
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