The pandemic has caused demands for many items and now the Better Business Bureau are warning about an increase in pet scams.

With people for the most part either at work or stuck at home due to the pandemic, there has been an increase in people wanted some company and getting that from pets.

I recently got a new puppy for my son but he lives with his mom so I am with the dog most of the time and find myself enjoying having a little buddy to hang at the house with me and enjoy the company.

With more and more people at home and having more time to work with a new puppy, the demand in 2020 has never been higher and that is where the less desirables see a chance to take advantage of people in hopes of getting a new pet.

Make sure when you are shopping online for pets, you know they are legit and you know who you are dealing with.

One of the tricks the Better Business Bureau is warning you about is scammers saying you can't meet the puppy because of health concerns. If you can't meet the dog, move on to someone who will set up a safe meeting for you and the prospective pet.

According to MLive, the number of reported scams to the Better Business Bureau is nearly five times higher in 2020 than in 2017.

Be careful when an online pet store is asking for payments on apps like CashApp and Zelle. These have been top ways of scammers to collect payment on animals that do not exist.

Other scammers are asking people to pay shipping fees that will be refunded or wanting to add ridiculous amounts of money for insurance for animals being shipped by plane.

Some scammers have even talked about COVID-19 vaccines for animals and try to charge for the fake vaccines. Come on people, they have not released a vaccine for a human yet, let alone a dog.

The best way to avoid any of these scams is to simply buy local. Find a business, breeder or animal shelter/rescue where you go to the business and physically see the puppy or kitten of interest to you.

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