Puppy scam heartache: Surfleet couple want others to be aware after they paid a deposit for a puppy that never arrived

A couple are warning others to be extra vigilant when looking for a new pet after reporting that they were scammed into parting with cash for a puppy.

Phil Howard (29) and his partner Ant Mason (28) had everything ready for the arrival of their new Labrador puppy at their home in Surfleet.

They had even chosen a name, Coal, and had shopped online for new toys, a dog bowl and an engraved collar tag.

But their excitement turned to heartbreak when they sent over the deposit for their new puppy, only for the seller to suddenly stop contact and remove her advert.

They had been looking for a new dog to join their seven-year-old Labrador Millie, and also be a playmate for energetic eight-month-old French bulldog Sandy.

Searching the UK website FreeAds, they spotted a litter of labrador puppies, pictured with their mother.

The seller had the name ‘jessicalouise077’ and was listed as being in Derbyshire.

Phil said: “We contacted the seller to enquire about the pups, photos were shared and we picked which puppy we wanted to add to the family.

“However, due to the current coronavirus pandemic, we were asked not to come and view them and to pay a deposit of £100 on May 15, to secure the pup and allow for safe social distancing collection on May 22.”

The total price for the puppy was advertised as £500.

Ant, a paramedic, and Phil, currently on furlough from food company Greencore, said they had built up trust with the seller and had no reason to believe she wasn’t genuine.

“Communication was good,” Phil said. “She was talking about her four children and how she was ready for the pups to be rehomed due to the effort it takes to raise pups with their mother.

“We were asked to complete a bank transfer as she didn’t have PayPal. We should have realised something was wrong then but besotted with the new member of the family, we agreed to complete the bank transfer.”

But when they contacted the seller the next day asking for pictures of their ‘little boy’ to see how he was getting on, it all went silent.

“We messaged, phoned and there was no answer. Starting to panic we thought could we really have just been scammed?” Phil said.

The Lincolnshire Free Press has tried to call the number that the seller provided but it goes straight to a Giffgaff mobile network voicemail.

Unfortunately, Phil’s bank has told him it cannot provide a refund, due to the payment being made by bank transfer.

“This is an awful scam which has left us emotionally wrecked,” he said. “We feel like we have lost a family pet before we even had him and we have lost £100 for nothing but a photo and this awful distrust in the behaviour of some people.”

The couple have reported the incident to both FreeAds and the organisation Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for internet crime which has seen a rise in reports of similar incidents during the coronavirus lockdown.

FreeAds told us they were sorry to hear about the incident and ‘understood how distressing this must be’. They added that they emphasise throughout their website ‘never to send deposits’ and advise against buying a puppy without visiting the mother and seeing it in its home environment (whilst following social distancing).

They have pledged to help the couple in ‘every way possible to get back the deposit.’

‘Lucy’s Law’ which came in on April 6, this year, means that all dog breeders must have a licence and are required to show puppies interacting with their mothers in their place of birth.