Home Asheville & Western North Carolina
Advanced Search

Blogwire is a compilation of local news and information gathered by area citizens and Xpress staff. The Blogwire news aggregator includes press releases, stories from other news outlets, opinion pieces and updates from area blogs

Posting to Blogwire is open to any resident interested in participating. We welcome you to post what you see as important local news and information. Contact us to join.

Sort by...
Asheville Regional Airport: beware of pet scam
Full announcement from the Asheville Regional Airport:

(Asheville, NC) The Greater Asheville Regional Airport is alerting the public about a pet scam involving bogus purchases and false claims that animals are being detained at the airport.
The pet scam involves online ads or unsolicited e-mails that offer to sell and ship pets - such as puppies, birds and monkeys - from overseas. After the buyer purchases the pet, the seller requests additional money, frequently claiming that the pet is sick and is being held at the airport until it receives vaccinations needed to pass through customs. The scam victim often pays the additional money and contacts the Asheville Regional Airport for details about obtaining the pet. There is no customs facility for pets at the airport.

Consumers should be on the alert for the following flags of a potential scam:
Scam e-mails use unofficial Airport e-mail addresses. All official Asheville Regional Airport emails will have @flyavl.com addresses.
Be wary of sellers who communicate only through e-mail. A legitimate transaction should allow the buyer to communicate directly with the breeder and the veterinarian to inquire about the animal's medical history.
Beware of sellers who use pressure tactics in e-mail communication.
Avoid sellers who accept only wire payments or money orders. Use a payment method that offers fraud protection, such as a credit card.
For more information on pet scams, go to; http://www.aspca.org/adoption/adoption-tips/pet-scam-stories.

Consumers who suspect they have been victims of scams should file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center to report internet fraud. Their address is http://www.ic3.gov.
Comments
Please keep your comments relevant to blog entry.
Commenters email addresses are never displayed. Please do not insert HTML code.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (without http://) and it will be active.

There are no comments for this entry.

You are not logged-in. Do you have an account?: Login here.
Would you like to Register?: Click here to create a new account.
Or you may use the form below without registering. Your comment will be moderated before going online.

Name:
Email:
Type your comment in the field below:

Remember my personal information
Notify me of follow-up comments?

Retype the word you see below: