Puppy Scam/Fraud

[Debsalazar]

I am sharing my experience in order to try to save someone else from the same scam. 

I paid in full & received no pup. I made novice buyer mistakes. I fell in love with puppy pics & was played via many messages over several days.
I have been looking for a BC for quite sometime.  We had fostered one & found it was the only breed of dog for us. Now at a point in our lives where we have the time & energy to train a dog and the love to give, I had been looking at rescues & rehomes as there are so many dogs that already need a home & love. 

I decided to buy from a breeder as I just wasn't finding a dog locally. Last week I started looking at  FB Border Collie groups. There are good legitimate breeders here, but buyer beware. Don't fall in love with a puppy & ignore your good judgement or the red flags.
-The FB page I am referring to is named "BorderCollie Puppies". Note the similarity in name but there is a space before "Puppies" (easily confused with this legitimate group).
-Phone #703-791-9036 (a google #).
-Email & Link: (also used to send pmt to). ami721448@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/BorderColliePupps/
-Name used Mike Alain
-The pic on their page is from another site, as are the pics they show of their dogs.
- They use the exact verbiage as what is on several other "breeder sites" (for various breeds), throughout the internet (one even in South Africa). Obviously stolen/copied.
-He(?) Was very responsive to my messages, giving what appeared appropriate info, but I have since learned not everything you would expect from a legitimate professional.
-I have 2 resources that have their Masters Degrees in Computer Science & Cyber Security. They were able to track so much info for me in less than 15 minutes. All red flags. Too bad I didn't consult them BEFORE I made the purchase.
Don't trust, verify. The lesson I learned. 

Please contact me if you want further details/pics/copies of messages/emails. Or if you want to talk about similar experiences.
Also if this has happened to you contact your bank/financial institution & make a fraud claim/investigation. Contact other FB pages to warn them, report fraudulent sites to admin & FB officials. You can make a police report. You can contact a fraud investigator, contact the General Attorney's office, BBB, & other agencies.
You can post on your own FB, Instagram, TicToc, other Social Medias.