Bringing home a new puppy is happy time, unless of course your new puppy doesn't exist.
A popular online scam is to put out an ad for free puppies, promising the only thing you need to pay for is the transportation fees associated with getting your cuddly new friend home.
These con artists seem legitimate at first, even showing papers from veterinarians alleging that the dog is healthy.
Then the scammer will ask you to send them a few hundred dollars, and then, nothing. You never get your dog and you're out all that money.
Pam Wiese with the Nebraska Humane Society says they see a number of cases every year of this scam, and that actually going and spending time with the animal is key. "A lot of times, you want to bond with that animal. So, a sight unseen amount of money down for a puppy that you may or may not bond with might not be the best idea."
Wiese says just seeing a dog online is not a good way to decide if that pet is right for your home. "We always try to say you'll wanna meet the people that are caring for the animal and then you'll also want to meet the animal itself before putting money down."
If you are thinking about buying a pet off the internet be sure you meet the sellers and see what kind of environment they have the animal in, before agreeing to the purchase.