It started with a local add that my wife had found. She contacted someone she thought was giving up a puppy for adoption. They told her they had to move and could no longer keep the puppy and wanted it to have a good home.
They used a copy of the English G.K. Airfreight's web site and told her she would be making a payment in the amount of $125.00 (USD) for the airfare to G.K. Airfreight.
I did some quick research, verified that G. K Airfreight was a legitimate pet shipping company read a lot of good reviews about the company and thought no more of it. Unfortunately I didn't look good enough. The airfare sounded reasonable because they told her the puppy was in the USA. That should have triggered something in my mind then, but they sent pictures and everything. I guess she got a little excited. I should have checked the G.K. site a little further; there are places to get quotes, etc. I would have found out then it was a scam. Long story short, I didn't, because there a others forums on the Internet that give G.K. nothing but good reviews. If I should ever be in need of their service in the future, I would not hesitate in the least to use them. I have nothing but the utmost confidence they provide nothing but the best of services.
The so called owner asked that we use Western Union to transfer the funds to someone we were led to believe was a Cashier for G.K. Air. Once again, I should have known something was up, but it was not that much cash. The following morning they contacted my wife and told her they would need an additional $275.00 (USD) for vaccinations and $400.00 (USD) for an "electronic crate". These guys were apparently clever enough to know it was cold where we were at. This "electronic crate" would keep her warm and safe. The $400.00 (USD) would be refunded by the Air freight company upon arrival. Needless to say, that did not make any sense to me, and I needed to talk to someone. This is when I began what I should have done in the first place, and that was to find a way to contact someone at G.K. In the original email that my wife received (attached), there were phone numbers and I called one. That's when the story got even stranger because the person I spoke with told me they were a large company and he had to find out where her puppy was. A little more investigating and I realized the number that was listed was a telephone number in Cameroon. I did an Internet search on "Cameroon Pet Scam" and realized what happened. It amazed me to see how long this scam has been going on.
I am usually a very cautious person when it comes to making purchases online. I am somewhat angered at myself for falling for this but haste got he best of me this time. As I said, I am glad to see that the warning was on the German Site. Had it been on the English Site I would have known at hat point not to proceed any further. I guess it goes to show that just about anyone could get caught in a scam. I will do everything I can to stop any more of these. It's nice to know that at the very least Companies like G.K. are taking it upon themselves to help people avoid scams like this.
Thanks again
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