Entire Dog Blog

The old Nigerian "send me money so I can free my great wealth and share it with you" Internet scam has been around since the Internet has been around (or at least since the Internet has been in Nigeria). Now a Pennsylvania woman reports a new twist on Nigerian Internet Scams: Selling fake dogs on the Internet.

Jennifer Sheffer, an 18-year-old from Greenville Pennsylvania found a "Free to a Good Home" listing for a dog via Yahoo.com. The listing stated the dog, an English bulldog puppy, would be shipped from Ohio. The buyer only needed to pay for the dog's transportation. That sounded like a good deal to Jennifer, who responded and sent the money through Western Union. That was Friday. The dog was supposed to show up Monday, but did not.

After contacting the buyer (I think the author means seller), she was told the dog was going to be shipped from Nigeria. At the suggestion of the seller, she agreed to pay more money so the pet could travel in a special shipping crate.

“He kept sending e-mails wanting more and more money,” Miss Sheffer said.

The seller, who is only known through a Yahoo e-mail address as “Donald Ray,” continued to send requests for money as recently as Tuesday.

Sheffer called the State Police, who called Yahoo, who said they would "look into it" (translated: hold your breath, trooper). Sounds like she's out the full $240.

Folks, I love the Internet, but you have to be careful. Find a breeder through a reputable site or the phone book. Getting a new dog is exciting, but don't let the excitement cloud your good sense and judgement.