We would like to warn our readers of a new scam doing its rounds in various classifieds web sites around South Africa like Gumtree, OLX, All4Women and more.

The scammers advertise KUSA registered Yorkshire Terries for sale but like all scammers they get money out of you and you never get your dog. One of our readers who got caught by these scammers submitted the story below.

If you are interested in buying a dog and the advert claims that the breeder is KUSA registered then the onus is upon you to phone KUSA (Kennel Union of South Africa) and ask them if the person is actually a registered breeder. 

The letters "KUSA" stand for the Kennel Union of Southern Africa. KUSA should always be written in capital letters (not Kusa!)

KUSA is the authority on dogs in South Africa. They organise dog shows where dogs are judged by qualified persons. Dogs are compared to the Breed Standard for each breed. A good show dog can earn the title of Champion.

KUSA keeps records of litters registered, and issues statistics on the number of puppies registered, dogs imported and exported, etc.

If you buy a puppy that the breeder says is "KUSA registered," you should receive a KUSA registration certificate. The breeder may post it to you.

Contact KUSA on ph 0214239027/8  info@kusa.co.za

Also be very careful of doing business with anyone who uses a Yahoo or Gmail address as their primary address, there is no way an international shipping company uses a Gmail address. Also be careful of dealing with someone named "Person A" who asks you to put money into an account owned by "Person B". These are immediate signs that you are being scammed.

Story submitted by our reader follows: (sensitive information submitted to us by the reader such as ID numbers and Bank account numbers have been excluded here for security reasons. We have submitted this information to the SAPS Internet Fraud division and await their response. Anyone requiring this information for investigation purposes may contact us)

I’m hoping that SOMEONE at the SAPS FRAUD DIVISION is able to stop this person.

I’ll keep the story as brief as possible and have attached the relevant e-mails containing
all the information you require for your investigation.

I replied to an advert on the all4women website advertising teacup Yorkshire terriers for
sale. I was then contacted by the “seller” who offered me one of the puppies for R1,200.00
instead of the requested R2,500.00 as he had to get rid of her urgently before the next litter
which was due this week.

He called me on my cellphone and told me how lovely the puppy was etc. and as soon as I
had the money together to call him. We agreed upon the price and he wanted me to pay
R700.00 by last week Friday and the balance of R500.00 by today. I was told that his name
is Wesley Ridgway and that a further fee of R150.00 was to be paid to him for the safe
transportation of the dog via air as he was situated in Bloemfontein and I am situated in
Boksburg. The puppy would be delivered to my home by courier.

When I tried to call him the next day, his cellphone was unable so I sent him an e-mail to
his email address at wesleyridgway@yahoo.com. The following morning I received a
reply to my mail saying that I should call him on a different number. When I asked him
why, he said that he had a problem with his SIM card and that the reception in his area
was very bad.

Well, due to the fact that he trusted me, I trusted him and deposited R1,000.00 on
Thursday,7th April 2011 (in cash) into an FNB account in the name of T Victor. He had
previously sent me other bank details in the name of Bongani Brian at Nedbank.
When I asked why the details were different, he replied that he had two partners and
that it didn’t matter because they were partners.

Shortly after depositing the R1,000.00, I received an e-mail from “Animals Away” stating
that the animal needed a special crate and they required an amount of R2,150.00 (R2,000.00
being refundable upon delivery of the puppy).

I then called the “seller” Mr. Wesley Ridgway and said that I did not have that kind of money.
He said that if I paid another R1,000.00 into the FNB account, he would pay the balance of
the R1,150.00 in at the pet transport service and that I could refund him the next day when
I had received the R2,000.00 deposit back. He said he was prepared to do this so that the
puppy would not get hurt during transportation. We agreed to this and on Thursday afternoon,
I eagerly awaited the delivery of my new puppy.

By 15:30 on Thursday I received another email from the “pet transportation company” saying
that they had only received R1,000.00 and were unable to make contact with the seller. And
so the scenario continued until Friday as both the “Sellers” cell numbers and e-mail were unavailable and
I was being pressurized by the so called “pet transportation company” to pay the balance.

Late Friday afternoon I was told by the “transportation company” that the puppy was in Ravenswood
Boksburg and could only be delivered as soon as I had paid in the R1,150.00. I asked what would happen
if I didn’t pay the money and I was told that the puppy would be taken to an animal shelter. I then asked if I
could go to where she was to see her, before I paid in any more money, as it sounded like a scam.
I then received an SMS from “Dr. Morgan Palma” at the “transportation company” telling me not to contact
him again.

Still to no avail have I been able to reach anyone. I have reported the matter to KUSA as the
puppy was supposed to be KUSA Registered and I have subsequently established that Mr. Wesley
Ridgway is not a registered breeder with them and they have no record of the puppy.

I have established that the “pet transport company” Animals Away have NO agencies or contractors
in South Africa.

I have reported this scam on the All4women website but have only been told that they will “look into”
it.

I have reported Wesley Ridgway on yahoo for abusing his e-mail address ---- big surprise – it still
works !!!!

I have tried to report the abuse of the “pet transport company’s” email address at gmail but it
seems that there is NOWHERE to report it to.

I have also subsequently been to see the SPCA in Boksburg on Saturday,9 April 2011 to report
the matter.

(sensitive information submitted to us by the reader such as ID numbers and Bank account numbers have been excluded here for security reasons. We have submitted this information to the SAPS Internet Fraud division and await their response. Anyone requiring this information for investigation purposes may contact us)