To the editor:
A month ago, my husband and I lost a beloved pet, our Siamese female, ‘Alice’. For several weeks prior, she had been under the care of two very capable and compassionate veterinarians, and we faithfully followed their instructions regarding essential tests, diet and medication.
However, Alice did not improve, and the time came for us to make the decision every pet owner dreads making -- what to do when your veterinarian tells you that your pet is suffering.
With the heaviest of hearts, we agreed that we could not allow Alice to suffer.
Friends who had shared this experience were very kind and helpful, but there was a huge piece of me missing; an indescribable emptiness.
On March 23, in a moment of tremendous sadness and loss, I posted an ad on the Kijiji website, which read as follows:
"Desperately seeking a female Siamese kitten: Recently lost our beloved Siamese female; miss her terribly and would like to purchase, foster or adopt another female Siamese kitten. Will also make a generous donation to “Kitty Kare Rescue” as well. A very loving home will be provided for this little princess."
This advertisement was answered very quickly by an individual who was using an unfamiliar email address: blumail.org
She stated that she had a 12-week-old female Siamese kitten, and sent two photographs of the kitten in her second email.
She stated that for $210, she would have Lola shipped by a pet transportation service directly to our door. The individual requested our address, postal code and telephone number.
In the exchange of many emails which followed during the next hour, I repeatedly asked from where Lola was to be shipped, because I felt that a long transit might be traumatic for a kitten.
The individual assured me that she loved Lola, and would never subject her to anything dangerous. She was very warm, stating that she was confident that our home would be a loving one, and the fact that I was concerned about transportation arrangements proved to her that I was a kind person who had the kitten’s best interests at heart.
At the time of these email exchanges, my husband was out of house on an errand. I told the individual I would contact her as soon as I had discussed the matter with him. My final transmission to her was a request to know the details about from where Lola was to be shipped, what animal courier service would be provided, and to conduct the final stages of the transaction via telephone.
When I received no response to this letter, I became suspicious, and did some quick internet research on pet transportation services. There is a plethora of information available on the Internet about this scam. In a nutshell, one pays a shipping fee for a pet, receives pictures of a pet that does not exist, (usually downloaded from Internet sites such as Google Images), and ultimately, never takes delivery of the pet.
These scammers are criminals who peruse cites such as Kijiji or Craig’s list to prey upon people, such as me, who are searching for a pet.
Upon realizing that I had been a victim, I contacted my internet service provider’s customer service department.
A technician was able to access the emails I had received from this individual, and identified the IP address as originating from Holtsville, N.Y. This was not the first time the technician had dealt with a situation like mine. His compassion for my loss and disappointment made him a credit to Shaw.
I share this, in hope that someone seeking a pet online can be spared the disappointment and pain that I experienced.
In my final missive to the individual who attempted to scam me, I wrote:
“I know what you are.
I know where you are.
I know your IP address.
May God forgive you.
Change your life.”
Patricia Gray-Macdonald,
Thunder Bay
