A Victorian woman is set to face court after allegedly swindling $32,000 from victims by advertising and selling puppies online before ghosting the prospective buyers.
Victoria Police allege the 42-year-old, from Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula, duped five people by asking them to make large deposits to secure French bulldogs she was offering.
Police will allege in court the five buyers – from across the country – lost more than $32,000 collectively.
"Each victim reported they had lost between $1800 to more than $18,900 as a result of the alleged scam, which occurred between January 2020 to April 2020," Victoria Police said in a statement.
The woman allegedly asked the buyers for veterinary and transport costs before ceasing all contact and not providing the puppies or their money back.