Beware puppy ad scam

Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

Con artists are exploiting soft-hearted Kiwi animal lovers to swindle them out of hundreds of dollars.

Advertisements placed in newspapers, including the Herald on Sunday, seek owners for a couple of English bulldogs. The ads ask that $400 be put in a bank account for the cost of shipping the animals to New Zealand from Nigeria.

"Rev Richard" advertised his desire to find homes for the dogs while his family went on a missionary expedition across Africa.

Graham Havill, a Tauranga dog lover, said he thought the bulldogs would be good companions for his dog, Scotty. He sent probing emails that caused the "Reverend" to go to ground. But he feared others would be taken in by the scam.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs estimates about 5.7 per cent of New Zealanders fall victim to fraud every year.