BBB: Online scams hitting veterans more than ever before

PALATKA, Fla. — Service members, military spouses and veterans are all reporting a large loss of money to online scammers, according to a 2020 report by the Better Business Bureau of Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia.

Tom Stephens, the CEO and president of the organization, said it’s mostly because many military members are active duty or acting as a single parent while their loved ones are overseas.

Online shopping is easier and many just don’t have time to research every advertisement online.

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The two biggest scams right now are job postings and dogs for sale.

Retired U.S. Navy Chief Master at Arms Jim Weber and his wife, Judy, were searching for the perfect pup. The couple lost their Chihuahua, Marilyn, when she was hit by a car. They wanted another dog, but now they’re out $250.

“I’ve got stage 4 cancer in my spine, so I’m limited in my mobility,” Weber said. “This puppy was supposed to be my friend, help fill a void in my heart.”

Weber’s wife saw an ad on Facebook, advertising Chihuahua puppies for $500 each.

“They (the seller) said they were out of Georgia,” Weber said. “And that all we needed was $250 for a down payment, and they would ship the puppy down here.”

Weber exchanged 189 emails with the seller. He even sent his proof of payment. Once he paid, the seller stopped responding.

“They didn’t respond for a while,” Weber said. “I sent a couple more emails. I even said, you know, just tell me if this is fraud or not.”

The seller started getting angry with Weber, responding, ‘why are you emailing me. I’m at work.’ Weber quickly found it was a scam.

“There never was a dog to start off with, because this guy is not a breeder. He’s a scammer,” Stephens said. He said the agency is getting reports similar to Weber’s about three to four times a week.

“And they’re not small losses,” Stephens said. “They’re usually $750, $800, $1,000, $1,500 that people send before they realize, ‘I’m being scammed.’”

Stephens said a good rule of thumb is that if there are dogs being offered for under $1,000, it’s likely a scam. Also, always try to meet in person or use a payment app where you can get refunded if you find out the ad is a fake.

According to the BBB, veterans reported an average loss of $133, military spouses reported an average of $132, and active-duty service members reported the highest average loss of $269.

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“I’m not asking for anything in return or for anybody to do anything,” Weber said. “I just want to get this info out to other people so that they’re aware of these scammers.”

If you or someone you know feels that they have been scammed, you can report it to the BBB here.

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