SAULT STE. MARIE – In Sault Ste. Marie, a woman is sharing her story about how she got scammed when trying to buy her kids a puppy.
"We saw on this Facebook group a cute little white puppy that was a white lab. He popped up and he kind of pulled out our heartstrings," said Ashley Gilmar.
For her two children, it was love at first sight as they instantly felt a connection with the pup. Gilmar then began speaking with the owner in Thunder Bay.
"We looked at that picture over and over. My kids grew attachments to it… I didn't want to be the bad person to say we're not getting this puppy… they wouldn't understand," said Gilmar.
After nearly a week of messaging back and forth with numerous questions asked and pictures being sent, the Gilmars agreed to buy the dog by sending a $150 E-transfer as a deposit.
"They said they were coming to the Sault on Sunday, so they will drop the puppy off as well as other people were getting one."
Once the money was received, communication slowed down and on the day of delivery, as her children spent the day staring out the window waiting for their puppy, it never arrived.
Gilmar says they "sat there for hours just waiting for the new puppy to arrive. They had the little bed set up, the little toys, dishes… everything was all perfect."
As the deadline had passed, Gilmar knew right away she had been scammed, and as it turns out, they're not alone.
Another family in the Sault sent $400 to buy two puppies from the same Facebook profile. The owner never showed up with the dogs.
Both families have contacted the police who remind online buyers to be careful.
"There are a number of secure and valid forms of payment online. There are secure payment sites and companies. Try to do your homework before buying something," expressed Lincoln Louttit, Sault Ste. Marie Police Services.
Gilmar feels she did ask a lot of questions and she never saw any red flags.
She says she plans on buying another dog, but this time it will be from someone in the Sault.
