Officials at Casper-Natrona County International Airport
say they’ve been contacted multiple times in recent weeks about a
purportedly fraudulent pet shipment company that airport officials say
is bilking each of its customers out of $1,500 or more.
Animal Airways Services claims it will ship puppies across the
country to its customers through Casper-Natrona County International
Airport. Airport officials say the scam kicks in when company employees
first contact the customers, saying that Casper-Natrona County
International Airport staff will not allow their new puppy to be shipped
until a “puppy pet insurance” wire transfer to another company, VPI Pet
Insurance, is completed.
“Of course, the puppy never shows up and the money goes off to a
company in Turkey,” Casper-Natrona County International Airport manager
Glenn Januska said. “It seems to be something that’s been happening for a
number of years.”
Januska says, to his knowledge, nobody in Wyoming has been affected
by the scam. He also says most callers inquiring about their puppy or
their “puppy pet insurance” payment are from eastern states.
“It’s not one specific state,” Januska said. “The people are told the
puppies are being shipped through Casper, so, when they don’t come, and
they’re trying to follow up on what’s happening, that’s when we get
contacted.”
VPI Pet Insurance’s website says it’s a branch company of Ohio-based Nationwide Insurance. According to the Better Business Bureau, VPI Pet Insurance is based out of Brea, Calif., and has an ‘A+’ rating.
“The company that provides the insurance is actually a legitimate
company, it’s just that the company doesn’t provide (“puppy pet
insurance”) – this fraudulent company is just using their name,” Januska
said.
Airport officials say individuals who’ve been scammed by Animal
Airways Services should contact their local authorities immediately.
http://k2radio.com
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KCPR
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment