College student out hundreds of dollars over alleged puppy scam

ATLANTA — When a Georgia Tech student lost her father suddenly to a heart attack, she thought getting a new puppy for her and her mother might help them get through the grieving process.

“My dad, he died suddenly, like, outside of our home. He was a runner and he had a heart attack,” she said.

The student told Channel 2's Michael Seiden she searched on online for days and finally found a website selling toy poodles.

The student, who asked not to be identified, said she spoke to the seller multiple times before finally agreeing to a price.

The seller lives in El Paso, Texas. The student agreed to wire him $1,000. An online receipt she gave Channel 2 Action News shows proof of her purchase

She paid the money, but the puppies never arrived.

"I have student loans and all these things like the rest of the world so what makes you think you have a right to my money just because I want to take care of an animal? It’s really sickening to me," she said about the seller.

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On the following day, the shipping company sent her a suspicious email that read, in part, "Between Texas And ga there’s an electrical storm."

“They were telling me it was going to be an extra $922 to ship the dogs," the student said.

She immediately contacted Pet for Pet Airways but when she didn't get answers, she went back to the seller, who told her in a text that he couldn't talk because he was driving.

We also tried tracking down the seller but when we went to the website, we were greeted by a message that said the website is no longer working.

The police report identifies the seller as Casey Paul of El Paso, Texas.

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Cox Media Group