Critter Scammers

I got a lot of response to yesterday’s blog about maybe getting a pet or two, in blog comments, comments on Facebook, and some emails. The consensus seems to be that we will know when the right animal(s) comes along, and Terry and I both feel that way.

It’s no secret that there are a lot of scammers in this world, and Facebook seems to be alive with them. I made a couple of comments about German shepherds and polydactyl cats in different groups on Facebook and I have been inundated with messages from people who all have exactly what we are looking for. All I have to do is send them a deposit of anywhere from $50 to $250 and either the animal will be ready to pick up or it will be delivered to us. And the strange thing is that they almost all use the same pictures of the same animals with the same backgrounds, and when you ask them where they are located you get vague answers.

One person who had not only a year old female AKC German shepherd but also a twelve-week-old polydactyl cat, finally told me that he was in Savannah, South Carolina. When I asked him where that is, he told me it was close to Georgia. When I pointed out to him that there is no Savannah in South Carolina, he didn’t try to argue the point. just wanted me to send him a deposit for the animals. Figuring it’s no sin to lie to a thief, I asked for his address and told him that my son is a cop in Savannah, Georgia, and I would send him by with the payment to pick up the animals. Suddenly the only sound I heard was crickets.

Somebody else, who said she was in Birmingham, Alabama, had a purebred German shepherd female that was housebroken and professionally obedience trained. She said she paid over $3,000 for the dog, which is possible because a purebred dog from a champion bloodline can be very expensive. However, she only wanted $200 for it because God called her to a mission in South America to work with orphans, and she was leaving next week. Again, when I tried to tie her down to a location and said I would come out that very day and get the dog, she wanted me to send her the money online and then she would reply with the directions to her home. I told her I wasn’t comfortable with that, and Birmingham was only about an hour from us, so I would come up that very afternoon. No, she wanted the money first before she would give me an address. When I declined, she replied with a text using some very vulgar language that I’m not sure missionaries are allowed to use. Lord, save me from your people!

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is a copy of the new hardcover edition of the RV camping journal donated by Barbara House. Barbara makes several variations of these, and they all have pages where you can list the date, weather, where you traveled to and from that day, beginning and ending mileage, campground information including amenities at RV sites, a place for campground reviews, room to record activities, people met along the way, reminders of places to see and things to do the next time you’re in the area, and a page for notes for each day.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – Have you ever met someone so stupid that you feel bad for their dog?