By Canadian Press

Free puppies: Nova Scotia woman issues warning about cruel and unusual scam

May 27, 2019 | 12:12 PM

HALIFAX — A Nova Scotia woman has come forward to warn people about an unusually cruel scam that involves the promise of free, purebred puppies.

Lara Ryan says she didn’t realize what was happening two years ago when strangers first started showing up at her home, telling her they were responding to an online ad from a man hoping to give away a puppy he could no longer care for.

At first, Ryan and her husband Brett assumed there had been a few honest mistakes, but then a pattern emerged.

In all, about a dozen people have approached them with similar stories, all of them saying they decided to pick up the dog rather than wire money the man requested to cover shipping costs.

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Ryan says she’s been told many different breeds have been offered, and the man’s phone numbers and email addresses are never the same — and can’t be traced.

She says it’s clear the scammer wants the money, but when he can’t get it, the ruse continues until the unsuspecting dog lovers — some from as far away as Toronto — show up at her home in Fergusons Cove.

Ryan says she can’t understand why the scam artist continues to use her address.

The Canadian Press