Description

I (********) was searching for a mini dachshund puppy when ****** ****** recommended a man named George N. Fred to me, claiming she had previously purchased a dog from him. I contacted George through Facebook Messenger to ask if he had a mini dachshund available. He said he did and stated that he and his wife, Samantha, were asking $590, including delivery. We agreed that George would personally deliver the puppy to me on Sunday. We even signed a contract. I then sent a $300 deposit via Zelle to Ayana Higgins. At 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, George messaged me saying his son was in the hospital and he could no longer drive the puppy down. He claimed that he and his wife had dropped the dog off with a shipping company instead, and that the company would handle delivery. He sent me a “tracking number,” but the shipper and receiver information were mixed up. I contacted the supposed travel company, "Masterlogistics", to resolve the issue, but I quickly realized the company and email were fake. The emails showed no professionalism, there was no customer service number, and every time I messaged George on Facebook, I immediately received an email from the “shipping company” addressing the exact question—despite me never contacting them about it. Additionally, the email shown on the tracking confirmation didn’t work, so George provided a different one for “MasterLogistics,” which did not match the tracking details. The next email from MasterLogistics claimed I needed to pay $1,000 to “rent a kennel” for transport or $399 to buy one. I asked George to cover that cost since he was the one supposedly shipping the dog, and the email stated he would receive a 99% refund. He claimed he didn’t have the money—odd, considering the refund would supposedly be returned that same day. When I asked the “travel company” where the $1,000 should be sent, they provided the exact same Zelle account (Ayana Higgins) that I used for the $300 deposit, which made no sense if they were a separate company. When I questioned George about it, the “company” suddenly sent me a different Zelle account—again, suspiciously timed. I told George I was uncomfortable sending any additional money and preferred to wait for him to deliver the dog himself. He said he could deliver it on Tuesday. Tuesday came and went with no response from George, despite multiple messages. I then emailed his wife, Samantha, asking about the puppy, and she claimed the dog was still at the “agency” because I didn’t pay for the accommodation fee. I explained that George agreed to deliver the dog personally, I never approved the dog being shipped, and this situation was not my responsibility. The last contact I had with them was on November 4th. Then this morning, November 19th at 7:47 a.m., I received an email stating the dog was still at the “holding facility” and that failure to pay would become a “legal issue.” I have no contract with this supposed agency. If a real dog were being left in a holding facility for weeks, I would report it as animal abuse. However, at this point, it is clear this entire situation is a scam.