An Angus woman has issued a warning after losing out on £200 to an internet scam as she tried to purchase a puppy.
Animal lover Leann Whyte (25), from Kirriemuir, ordered the pooch last week on the itsmymarket.com site.
The supermarket worker was touched when she read an advert posted by a man who claimed his name was Len Foster and that he lived in Kirkwall, Orkney.
He said he was grieving the loss of his mother and wanted to give her beloved pug puppy away for free, asking only £200 to cover delivery costs.
However, when the dog hadn’t arrived after several days, Leann grew concerned.
She said, “I started to get a bit worried when it wasn’t here by Monday.
“It wasn’t the money that bothered me. I was just really worried that there was a little puppy stuck in a delivery box somewhere.
“I phoned the man on Tuesday and he told me it was in Galloway and that it would be with me in a matter of hours. But it didn’t arrive and I soon realised it wasn’t coming at all.”
Leann then typed the name Len Foster into Google and discovered he was not in fact a bereaved son in Orkney, but a North Lincolnshire councillor who had attempted to warn people of the site and the schemes operating from it.
Although no one in his area had been affected, he urged people to be on their guard as regards the hoax, which originated in Africa.
He said, “Sadly there are con men out there who will stoop low and tug at people’s heartstrings to do a scam on puppies.
“I’d like to advise anyone considering purchasing a puppy to always use a reputable breeder. A reputable breeder will expect you to want to see pups with their mother and will also be able to provide you with copies of a pup’s pedigree.”
In a cruel act of revenge, the scammers appear to have started using Mr Foster’s name as part of the con.
The Courier searched for reviews of itsmymarket.com and discovered many other unsuspecting people had fallen victim to the same scam as Leann.
One customer urged others to “keep away” as she had seen a picture of the same puppy, reportedly for sale in seven different locations.
Another said the entire operation should be “removed from the internet” as it was run by people who were “obviously trying to fraudulently obtain money.”
Leann added, “I just wanted to speak out about it in case other people fall for the same sob story I did.”