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Oct 1, 2008 4:02 pm US/Eastern
Internet Scam Targets Action For Animals
DERRY TOWNSHIP (KDKA) ―
The Action for Animals Humane Society in Derry Township has had numerous people come in this week looking for "free purebred puppies."
But, shelter manager LuAnn Hutcheson says those puppies don't exist.
She says her shelter was the target of an internet scam. The ad was posted in the online Trib Classifieds by a user who called himself Dr. Smith Erber. It used the shelter's name, address and phone number, but a fraudulent email address.
Shelter board members replied to the ad's email address and were told that the free puppies were gone, but they may be able to get one if they sent in $45.
Shelter officials say they have been in touch with police, but aren't sure what will happen since the scam is believed to be based overseas.
They want to warn the Derry Township area about the incident so people don't fall victim to the scam.
We contacted the manager of the Tribune Review's classifieds webpage to see if this has happened in the past, but our calls were not immediately returned.
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