Rhode Island Police Department warns public of scam involving puppies that’s costing people money

No, the adorable puppies are not the ones scamming people, but their cute little faces are being used for nefarious purposes, according to a local police department.

Pawtucket Police say that they have received complaints of a puppies for sale scam taking place mainly via social media such as Facebook and Instagram.

How the scam works is a third-party individual takes over the social media account and then sends messages to the hacked user’s friends asking that they send money via CashApp, Zelle, or similar apps to purchase a puppy they are selling. In some cases, a fraudulent or otherwise obtained driver’s license of the account holder may even be shown as supposed proof of identity. After the money is received, all communication ends and there are no puppies ever given to the purchaser.

PD wanted to remind the public that it is never a good idea to send money online to someone you do not know, have only met online, or for something that sounds too good to be true.

“If you do initiate sales/purchases online from individuals, the Front Lobby of police headquarters is always available as an exchange location to attempt to facilitate safer transactions.”