CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - Everything was set for Sophia Cotton to welcome a new puppy into her home.
“I reached the point that I knew the dog would be here and we would have so much fun,” Cotton said.
She spent weeks preparing her home and her heart for an adorable Maltipoo puppy.
The Randolph woman found the puppy for sale on the Facebook page ‘Healthy Rescue Dogs for Adoption.’
“I did my little deep dive to see if I could find anything else, any more about the person and I didn’t find anything,” Cotton recalled. “There was nothing so I felt safer dipping my toes in the water.”
She paid a $150 deposit and arranged to pick up the puppy named Maya a few weeks later in Cambridge. When the day came, the seller started acting strange.
“I messaged her twice to say ‘Just checking in with you. How are things? Looking forward to seeing Maya. We’re very, very excited.’” Cotton said. “It was quiet, I didn’t get a response.”
When Cotton finally got a response, the seller claimed to be at the vet and asked for another $200 to cover the bill. The seller asked for an Apple gift card and would not let Cotton come to the vet.
“I said that makes no sense. You are supposed to be here delivering the dog in 10 minutes,” Cotton said. “My feelings were sinking at this point. I knew something was up.”
Cotton refused and all communication stopped, so she contacted 7 Investigates.
“It was such a huge letdown. It made me feel really really awful,” Cotton said. “I was ready and I planned everything and to have this happen.”
The seller did not respond to Facebook messages or emails. 7 Investigates finally got in touch with a man who claimed to be the seller’s husband. He said he would sort it out but hung up when we pressed him for more information.
7 Investigates found the exact same picture ‘Healthy Rescue Dogs for Adoption’ posted of Maya was initially posted eight months earlier on an unrelated Instagram account. Maya was only supposed to be three months old.
Photos of multiple other dogs posted for sale by ‘Healthy Rescue Dogs for Adoption’ were also taken from other sites.
7 Investigates found the Dachshund listed for sale in May 2024 was actually a photo of a dog named Wilbur that already has an owner.
“It’s scary to think that someone would do that and then it’s really sad for the person on the receiving end if they do get scammed,” said Andrea, Wilbur’s owner.
Andrea’s owned Wilbur for four years and runs an Instagram account for him with almost half a million followers. One of his photos posted on this page was used on the ‘Healthy Rescue Dogs for Adoption’ page.
“I am really using it as something to bring joy to the world and it’s really unfortunate that people are taking it and doing something so horrible,” Andrea said.
Kara Holmquist, the advocacy director at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), said anytime people are looking to buy pets online they should be cautious.
“We want to believe and we fall in love with the idea and we want to believe it but it’s unfortunate that the internet just creates the possibility for people to do dishonest things,” Holmquist said.”I think asking the right questions, and meeting the animal in person is the best way to make sure the animal exists and this is going to be a good fit for our family.”
Prospective buyers can run reverse image searches on photos of dogs for sale to spot any deception. Simply drag and drop the photo into a search engine like Google Images. The action will quickly reveal if the same photo has been used elsewhere online.
Holmquist also recommends people arrange in-person visits with the seller so they can see the pet before paying any money. Also, ask for vet records and call the clinic listed to verify them.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources did not have a license for the seller or ‘Healthy Rescue Dogs for Adoption.’ The state does require a license for people to sell rescue dogs in the state. You can search licensed shelters and rescue organizations here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/approved-shelter-and-rescue-organizations
Cotton said she tried to stop the page from scamming other people. She reported the page to Facebook but they have not taken it town. The same photo and post of Maya reappeared on the page weeks later.
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