Hackers create fake website selling puppies in Colorado

Hackers have a new hobby: targeting animal lovers with fraudulent websites selling puppies.

How the scam works

A fake site is circulating the web targeting Colorado families looking to buy a new pet online.

The site looks professional. It has normal business hours, email accounts, and even links to available puppies.

So what’s the catch? The pictures of each puppy listed are taken from Google.

Scammers want their victims to pay online via credit card, cashiers check, or green dot gift cards.

After making the payment, scammers won’t ship the dog despite the specific instructions listed on their website.

Meet Gary

Gary Burtt owns three Dachshunds, but recently he wanted to expand his horizons and adopt a Corgi puppy.

“I told a lot of my friends, co-workers, and showed pictures of the puppy I thought we were going to get,” said Burtt.

Burtt spent time researching reputable breeders online until he came across the site “Corgi Precious.”

“There were a lot of things on the site that made it look real,” he said.

Most of the time scammers will email you, but some may call from this site.
If that’s the case, verify their number isn’t a scammer by going to identifyacaller.com.

The site stores a database of phone numbers that can verify a fraudulent phone number.

Tips and tricks

Det. Jon Price with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office explains it’s important to limit the amount of information you give out about yourself on sites like this because hackers will sell it.

“Crime is global now,” said Price. “There are always going to be people out there that are smarter trying to rip us off.”

Do you have a scam?

Email me at Stephanie.Sierra@Krdo.com. We’ll investigate for you.