When Diane, resident of a quaint lakeside town just outside of Cleveland, spotted the above ad in her local paper, she excitedly sent an email to the address listed. She immediately received a response from the pup’s “owner”—she could have the puppy if she promised her a loving home and sent $500 to cover the shipping fees.

“I corresponded for an entire week with this man who claimed to be a missionary in Nigeria,” reports Diane. “I actually spoke with him on the phone over 25 times. He said all the right things and asked me all the right questions.”

Feeling comfortable with the arrangement, Diane sent the requested payment via Western Union. “I was told to send money to cover shipping and handling to an address in Nigeria and the dog would arrive in several weeks,” she states. “Unfortunately, that is where this puppy purchase took a turn for the worse. Once I sent the code for the money transfer, I never heard from ‘the pastor’ again.”

Like many unsuspecting animal lovers, Diane fell victim to the Nigerian Puppy Scam, one of the many “free to good home” scams currently circulating the Internet and classified sections of newspapers. “I just assumed that an ad published in our local paper was legitimate,” says Diane. “I had already fallen in love with Nancy—I just can’t believe it was all a swindle.”

Have you been taken by a similar scam, or know someone who has? Help others avoid being cheated by sharing your puppy scam story on ASPCA.org. To tell us what happened, email dogstory@aspca.org.

Reprinted from www.aspca.org .