ROANOKE, Va. – Ahead of the holidays, the Better Business Bureau in Roanoke has a warning for people thinking about adding a dog to their family.
The bureau issued a warning Monday about two websites.
According to the warning, complaints have been received about www.maltesepuppiesheaven.com and www.hometrainedpugpups.com.
The owner of one is located in South Africa.
The other site uses information and images from legitimate websites.
“Be very wary of purchasing the puppy over the internet it’s great if you want to shop and look at websites, but your best bet is always to talk to someone live and if at all possible go and visit the kennel," said Roanoke BBB CEO Julie Wheeler.
There are some common red flags to look for, wheeler says, that could indicate the website is a scam.
“If it’s very long on emotional pictures and that type of thing and very short on facts or any invitation to speak to someone live and they need money up front, like big deposits, and they want that money either wired or sent via gift card or money pack or something like that,” Wheeler explained.
For more tips to avoid becoming the victim of a puppy scam, click here.