Google is taking aim at an alleged thug engaging in “particularly nefarious” fraud similar to online romance scams, but using photos of adorable purebred puppies to “hunt vulnerable victims during an unprecedented pandemic.”
The Mountain View technology giant this week sued a man they believe to be a Cameroonian, accusing them of running “multiple international non-delivery scams, with the intention of taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the US.” High demand for puppies” responds to victims spoofing online ads to send hundreds of dollars in exchange for puppies that never arrive.
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in San Jose, has embedded examples of online advertisements showing pictures of floppy-eared Basset Hound puppies with large soulful eyes. One young dog is named Boris and the other is named Hattie, each dog being sold for $700.
There are reportedly 20 websites linked to the racket, and one was registered at the end of March, indicating that the fraudster “will continue to defraud and abuse Google’s services, until it is shut down.” Suit said.
Pet adoptions boomed during the pandemic as people sought animal companionship amid the isolation imposed by the virus and public health orders. And online scams have increased dramatically as consumers have avoided in-person shopping, and last year, “pet scams” made up 35% of all online-shopping frauds, the lawsuit cites the Better Business Bureau. Said happened. A study showed that there was a 165% increase in puppy scams in the US from January to October 2021 compared to the same period in 2019 before the outbreak, according to the suit.
The AARP, which represents older Americans, first told Google in August that a puppy was using its services to perpetrate fraud, according to a scammer suit. One person responded to a website ad expressing interest in a specific Basset Hound puppy, and was instructed to send $700 in electronic gift cards, according to the suit. The victim then received a text message claiming that the delivery company “Sunshine Express” needed an additional $1,500 to deliver the dog, the suit alleged, but no puppy was given.
Google claimed in the lawsuit that the scammer used several of its services, including Gmail and dozens of fake Google accounts, in violation of the company’s terms of service. The firm said it has shut down accounts and services linked to the scam, but that web-hosting companies continue to allow “new scam websites to crop up.”
The lawsuit claims that the fraud “follows a script similar to many other online scams where malicious actors pretend to be someone they don’t want to convince victims to part with money they would never have.” will get.” “Examples of other such scams include illegal prescription drug scams, romance scams targeting widows and widowers, loan scams targeting veterans, and investment scams targeting the elderly.” The puppy scam “exploits the joy of pet adoption, resulting in both emotional harm and financial loss,” the suit alleged.
While the lawsuit focused on “non-existent” young Basset Hounds for sale, it also claims that one of the websites was selling non-existent Maltipoo puppies, and titles containing dog breeds including Shiba Inu, Havanese, French Lists allegedly fraudulent sites using Bulldog, Westie, and Dachshund, together refer to two Maine Coon cats.
Google is seeking a court order to stop the alleged fraudster from using its products, and it wants the court to shut down the allegedly fraudulent websites. The company is also seeking unspecified damages.
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