Blumenthal Calls for Federal Crackdown on Surging Pet Buying Scams

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today to investigate the surging rise of pet buying scams costing consumers millions of dollars and contributing to severe emotional distress amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I urge the FTC to take steps to ensure that pet scams are fully investigated and to bring its full enforcement authorities against perpetrators of this fraud,” wrote Blumenthal in a letter to FTC Acting Chair Rebecca Slaughter. Blumenthal announced the letter at an event earlier today with the Connecticut Humane Society to bring consumer awareness to this rising scam.

As demand for pets, especially puppies, has increased over the past year with people at home due to the pandemic, online pet buying scams have surged. Scammers typically ask for money up front to cover a down payment and transportation costs, then cut off communication, with even the most discerning consumers falling for increasingly more sophisticated scams. In its investigation, Hearst Connecticut Media identified at least 77 pet scams totaling more than $57,000, most related to puppies, throughout Connecticut between 2020 and 2021. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB)’s December report, reports of pet scams have increased by around 130 percent in 2020 compared with prior years, reaching an estimated 4,300 reports and more than $3 million in losses to consumers. 

“In addition to a financial burden, these scams add further emotional hardship on the vulnerable,” Blumenthal continued. “The BBB and media reports describe how the scammers reprehensibly preyed upon the emotions and needs of people mourning lost relatives, facing financial hardship, and dealing with the social isolation of the pandemic.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

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