Description

After searching for a Maltese puppy, I found this website and everything looked legitimate. I first paid a deposit of $500.00 by using bill-pay through my bank. It took longer to process than they wanted it to and were frustrated with me. A few days later I was told that the “free shipping” coupon they had reserved for my use to fly the dog to the airport near me had been used by her husband and was no longer available to me. She told me that I had to pay the balance for the dog that day by wire transfer only. They were going to pay the airfare to ship the dog out of their own pockets. I still believed they were legitimate and, on my own accord, I sent an extra $100.00 to be put toward that cost. I received another email the next day, 11/7/2025 stating that the carrier had picked up the dog for transport and would be contacting me with flight information. I was contacted by Consolidated Freightway at 10:18 am that they were getting ready to have the dog transported but the carrier the breeder had provided them did not meet airline requirements and asked me for $1,950.00 to purchase an insulated thermal crate, or I could rent one for $750.00 and upon delivery of the pet they would refund 98%, but I needed to wire the funds immediately so the dog didn’t miss the flight. I went to my bank to do the transfer and the bank tellers refused to allow me to do the transaction as it would not pass the fraud investigation department. I never heard from them again. They never answered their phone when I attempted to call and would only correspond via email. The wire transfers were made to Truist Bank in the name of Shanta Jackson. I have the account number and routing number. I came across the same outfit now running the same scam but going by the name of Celestial Companions. The dog I was trying to purchase is available on the site and has not aged at all in over a month.