"... You're lucky to have mailed at this time because the puppy has just been placed on adoption by one of my customers, who went on a veterinarian work transfer with the West African veterinarian commission Lagos Nigeria, West Africa. He is giving the pup up for adoption because he cant take good care of the pup due to his busy and tight state of work. All he wants is someone that's homely and with a good christian home to adopt this young and lovely human best friend."

12/26/06: The Helen Rowe ad appeared in the Raleigh (NC) News and Observer a couple of weeks ago exactly as it appeared here except for one thing:
Neither the ad nor the email I received in response mentioned Nigeria specifically. If the TV show 60 Minutes hadn't done so many pieces on scams out of Nigeria, I don't think it would have occurred to me to check it out.
Information on this scam is not easy to get. We need to encourage search engines to show information about the scams in the first few results that appear when searching for "Puppies from Africa", "Bulldog puppies + Africa", "Helen Rowe", etc.

Another scam that is making the rounds again, at least I just got another email on it after not getting one for almost two years now, is the "You won a lottery you never entered!" scam. The first time I got one I went along for a while since I entered so many lotteries on-line back then and saved all the emails. That one started in Africa, not Nigeria, and went all over the world with emails. I had to confirm to London, and a couple of other places but there was always a problem. Finally I was told that I needed to pay the Netherlands Non-Resident Tax (which does not exist). That was when I collected all the emails and went to the FBI. Since I hadn't paid anything, they could do nothing. If I had paid, they could try to prosecute but probably wouldn't get anywhere. At least, that was what the Special Agent told me.

This time the email is starting from Italy. At least I presume it is Italy since the email has the .it ending.

There's a thread featuring the lottery scams going on in the forums here.

My husband fell for this scam and sent $450.00 by wire to Nigeria. The initial call was from Julie bulldogfarm.com. The man that supposedly had the bulldog pup was pastor Collin Desmond.

I replied to an add over a bulldog puppy and a pug puppy free to good home, when the woman replied she said that she was currently in Lagos, Nigeria and that it would cost

Trisha, yeah it's a scam. Africa may not have as much internet access as Europe or the Americas but the finanicial infrastructure is developed enough so that personal checks would work and I'm pretty sure PayPal works there also. Think about it, throughout this thread similar stories have been posted, there are only a few (and very minor) differences between what is happening to you and what has happened to others. Save your hundred pounds.

Thanks christopher, after reading your response i sent an email to the person to say that if they were genuine then they would accept the payment methods i was offering, i am going to look for a reputable breeder

You are welcome Trisha, glad I saved you the money.

Trisha, I was almost out $900 (for 3 puppies) but this thread saved me, too! I was shocked to see the same wording and everything on the emails I had received as the ones shared here. I am VERY glad you didn't get your money scammed fom you. This thread has helped a LOT of people! So, thanks EVERYONE!!!
JoJo

I have been looking at a few adds and i noticed that scammers always call the puppies their babies and they always say puppies for adoption instead of puppies for sale

i forgot to say that the email addresses for the people involved in this scam are
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), pets travels gave an address which was 21 Airport Road, Lagos, Nigeria, 23401

Yep,
They usually refer to them as "babies" and say "adoption". The english is usually very bad. They also usually have some "Christian" association (volunteering for a church, or they are a pastor, etc.), and they usually make a big deal how it isn't about the money...that it is about finding their precious "babies" a good home, and sometimes offer to pay part of the shipping to prove it isn't about the money.
JoJo
P.S. We should somehow flood the internet searches with warnings for anything with those associations. (Babies, pastors, adoption, Africa, etc.)

I found this guy through an email I had sent to someone else looking to give away her bulldog puppy..it's like they refer each other to scams!
Hello ,

"Calvary greeting to you.Regarding to your mail, i quite apreciate your interest in adolpting my little baby.I have actually been looking for a caring parent to adopt my baby. I have prayed fervently about it and I believe the Lord has answered my prayers. I believe you are a God fearing person? She's a loving pet that love to play with kids, she's Akc registered, recently dewormed and had all their shot up to date.

The puppy is still very much available and she's here with me in west africa where i went on a veterinarian work transfer with the West African veterinarian commission. I want you to know that am not happy to give my lovely English Bulldog puppy out for adoption, but i have to do this because of the weather here is harsh, and in resent times, l have been going through 24-7 busy working conditions, and due to my great love for my puppy l am giving her out for adoption to a very nice and decent God fearing home with love for pets.

If you know that you are interested in adopting the puppy, send me your name, your delivery address, phone number including nearest Airport of where you want the puppy to be flown into and also i will be shipping her through Express Pets Delivery on next day delivery which i use in bringing him down here on next day delivery. Exactly i am giving the puppy to you for free.

And i want you to know that you will handle only the shiping fees to your desired destination.

She's 12 weeks old now and she will be 4-5lbs at full grown. I will like her to stay with a lovely family that will take good care of her for me.kindly make sure you take along your id card to the Airport when the puppy land at your nearest airport. I have attached you her current pictures. You can email me right away if there is any other thing you will like to know.

You can reach me on +234 808 253 4172

May God bless you..................

Pastor.Deangelo"

I am afraid I have been caught by the "Nigerian Bulldog Scam". A man by the name of Rev. Adewunmi sold me on a $500 bulldog named "Dolly". The man won me over by speaking from a "Christian Perspective" it's sad that he played on my faith to make me believe him, he even sent pictures. And the original ad was in my local newspaper! Anyway, I am out $500, that I also shouldn't have spent. But for future prospects PLEASE BEWARE, the screen name he used was .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hello,
thanks for the response and inquiries about the
puppies.They are English bulldogs and are two females
and one male.The two females are Nira and mellie while
the male is cane.They are all 10 weeks old and weigh
an average of 16.7 lbs and have just taken thier
second
shots.They have Wonderful personalities; fun, playful
and loving. AKC registration. loved and socialized
with people and other pets. They have had the best
possible care in raising; Vet supervision, quality
food, all vaccinations current and regular
worming.They have fat beeffy heads,thick wrinkled
badies and are very active and always play around
especially with a macro-cheap tennis ball.This babies
will come along with,all health papers,some of their
-Are you from a Christain background?
-Have you ever had a dog before?
-Do you have children and/or other pets?
-Are they well socialized with dogs and other pets?
This is just to ensure that the puppies are in save
hands and don't feel bored at one time or the other.To
have these puppies,you are only required to pay for
their shipping cost. which is $250 each.
I am from Alington,VA and presently doing a 7 months
voluntary missionary service in the Republic of
Cameroon with the American Lutheran Missions.i
volunteered to serve in Cameroon and have been here
since three weeks ago.I will be shipping this puppies
from the Douala International Airport and will gladly
make the shipping arrangements with the help of the
pets' Director of the airport if you are able to
answer me the above questions and assure me that you
will be able to provide love and care to one or all of
the puppies.
I will be in the States in 7 months time and i will
like to come take a look at the puppies to see how far
you have gone in caring for the puppy.
The reason why i am giving out the babies is that i
absolutely have no time to offer in caring for them
right now because of the nature of my job. I have many
difficulties in sending this babies to a loving home
for a couple of days now because of the nature of
things going online but i will prefer you call if you
are willing (011)237 5938546. To have her airport pick
up,you will be required to send me your
-phone number,
-full contact address and
-the name of the nearest airport to your location
where you will pick up the puppy.
-I will also like to know what times work for you for
the pick up,as i would not like the puppy to arrive
the airport and stay for a while before you are able
to pick her up.Well i will end here while hoping to
read from you.Do have a nice time and accept God's
blessings .


THIS IS THE EMAIL ADDRESS SHE'S USING-
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
jenifer moore [jenifer_moore003@yahoo.com]


They have sent me the exact same e-mail from all those names.

HERE'S ANOTHER!


am really sorry for i am on a missionary job transfer to West Africa(Nigeria) by my church i am a member of the Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, Texas.So the reason why i want to give out this puppy is because i dont not have time to take good care of my puppy and i need to be dedicated to my missionary job here in West Africa(Nigeria) that is why i am giving her out . So i do want someone with love and open heart for pets to have one of my baby puppy who is very affectionate towards children and other pets ..

The puppy is with a Current vaccinations, vet exam,health certificate from a licensed vet and a written guarantee of health ( 1yr). resently checked by a licensed Vet Doctor for heart, knees, skin, correct bite, and eyes,see attachment for resent pics .

Age :13weeks and 1 day old.

She should eat out of a pan which has a flat bottom and straight sides. use stainless steel because it lasts longer. Do not use plastic either for her food or water. she likes Nylabone and Gummabone toys but Never ever give her a rawhide toy.
And for grooming, Brush weekly and bathe as it needs also Keep her hair trimmed out of her ears and eyes.and her bedding material should range from straw or wood shavings,or beds of all types.

The most common is cotton rugs or blankets which can be washed with ease. Not much grooming is required, however a good combing.
should be trimmed professionally and always make sure her ears must be checked and loose hairs must be removed from ear passages.

The earlier you start her training and consistent, the better, you can wait a while so her settled comfortably into her new home before you begin.she need not lots of exercise. Long walks, jogging, playing catch, or agility or skil ls trials keep it happy.
l feed with Nutro's, Iam's, and Eukanuba.

These kibbles produces a nice coat, keeps the puppy round but not obese, and produces solid stools. But Do not feed her with a kibble which contains soyabeans.

lt's good if someone can always be on the look out for the puppy since it's still young and tender.puppy will be shipped along with a bath and a brand new crate, toys, carebooks, food sample, and dog kits.

So i will want you to get Full Name,Address,Contact Phone Number with your nearest airport for the delivery for the puppy and the payment method that is allowed now through western union money transfer and as soon as your payment is confirmed by my shipping agent the puppy will be shipped out to you urgently and i will like to inform you that's the best way of making the payment it is secured and faster.The puppy is asking for $450 including shipping. Thanks God Bless"""""""""" Happy New Year.

Pastor

Of Course & ANOTHER



must say that appreciate your concern over my babies. I also want you to promise me good home for the babies. I actually sent the breeder to find a caring parent for my babies here in west africa and I prayed over it and I am sure that this is a prayer answered.

My babies names are Chapman and Beauty. They are 2months old plus respectively,They are AKC registered, all to date on all shots, loves greater attention. I am asking for $800 for my two babies. I can arrange for their shipping to your home as soon as their payment is confirmed for their shipment.

Let me have your full mailing address and the nearest airport to your home for immediate shipping arrangement as soon as all terms are settled.

Find the attached to view their pictures.

Once again, I appreciate your genuine kindness over my babies. They are going to make a great babies and companies for you. I would also want you to send your telephone# so as to speak with you to be sure that I`m doing what is right for my babies.

I will miss them but will always remember you and them in my daily prayers.

God bless you
Rev. Austin
+234-802-394-2155

i have been spking to doug richards he told me that he wanted 250 for one dog and 450 for two. i was not sure of what i should do so i wanted to look up the WAVCN WEST AFRICAN VET COMMISSION IN NIGERIA. i also told him to gv me the contact number for the shipping company and the contact person and he gv me a 15 digit number. he told me his name is richard kelvin doug @ 947 jubril martins ave ikeja lagos state nigeria 23401. thank godness i looked this up or else i would have been a victim.

My fiance and I were scammed $870.00 from a "Pamela Hayes" out of Cameroon Africa. She said she was working there with the US peace corp and didn't have time to care for the dogs. We believed we were getting 2 English Bulldog Puppies and sent her money on two occasions! OUCH on us! We were heart broken about it and very upset. The money we sent her was from our wedding account and we promised ourselves we would pay it back after we got the puppies..well now $870 later were BROKE! I just want to get the word out to BE CAREFUL! and its illegal to transport animals internationally!

Yup, me to. I am reporting their info.
Pastor Paul Jackson wanted me to send his $300 to David so and so.
Idiot I must be, right? Thanks guys for reporting this otherwise I would have been out $300.

i fell victim to this scam, lost over 800$. and then another 200$ in phone bills after trying to contact them and harassing them. I wish there was more being done to stop it,...oh well.

Dear Victims and Would-be Victims-
I'm just blowing off someone from Maryland in Nigeria for work who has an English Bulldog. He still keeps emailing me asking me why I am so skeptical.
His email address: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
I don't know for sure if this is a scam, but how can I not think it is when my story almost ended up the same as all of yours?
He can't spell (or speak English very well), he wants the money "yesterday" via Western Union, he wants to make sure I'm blessed ("God Bless you and your family"). He ALMOST had me. As a matter of fact, he just responded, again, asking me if I was still interested because he has another interested family. I said no, and that if he was legit, he might want to advertise and accept payment in a different way.
Son of a bitch! He just emailed me AGAIN saying he's sorry that I'm skeptical, but send him the money right away so I can get the puppy tomorrow. Not only can he not spell worth a damn, he also doesn't understand English.
BEWARE OF THIS GUY! Want proof? Email me, and I'll email you our conversations from the very beginning.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
-Stephanie

Hi Stephanie!
I am SO glad you saved your money. I have to tell you one other point my husband and I were talking about when WE almost got scammed. You see, we ended up getting a little Coton de Tulear from a reputable breeder, and from the time we sent the money to the time he was able to ship him was 2 or 3 days, and we were kinda rushing him because we were going to be near the airport to pick him up that weekend. So, we were talking about it, and I don't think it is POSSIBLE for them to send the puppy that fast, especially from Nigeria. (They have to be Vet checked before they can fly, they have to arrange it with the airline, etc...all stuff we didn't know until later.) When we were almost scammed, they told us we could have our "precious babies" in 12 hours. YEAH RIGHT!!! Thanks for sharing your story. It will help others!
JoJo

Hi Jojo-
I think I'd rather pay $2000 for the real deal than $350 for nothing at all.
On a side note, I think he's done emailing me, I had to get mean but sometimes that's what it takes!
Take Care-
Stephanie

On Feb. 5, 2007 I contacted a breeder on puppyfind.com. The breeders name was Michael James, email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), phone: 5635826449, location: Chicago, IL. Michael informed me that he had just sold his last puppy but referred me to another man that he had just sold 2 puppies too. This mans name was Pastor Brian Park, and was presently in Africa doing missionary work. He stated that the Pastor could no longer keep the dogs because had "committed his life to god" and the African weather was too harsh on them. He gave me the Pastors info as email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), phone: +2348062928274. I then got in contact with the pastor. The Pastor told me that he had two puppies (Betty and Blake, he also provided pics) available for $700 each, plus $200 for shipping. At first I thought this was an amazing deal, I was soo excited, since these pups are usually $1500. However, I was a little apprehensive. So I then went online to google.com and searched the Pastors name. In my shock the man actually existed. Google returned a page on a Korean Pastor, named Brian Park. I was then sure that I wasn't being scammed. I kept in contact with the Pastor over email for the next two days. I then asked him to phone me with information about payment. This is when I realized it was a scam. Pastor Brian called me, but instead of having a Korean accent, he had a Nigerian accent. I know this because I have several friends from Nigeria and I recognize the accent. He then told me he needed my payment ASAP. He told me to send the payment via Western Union money tranfer. The info he provided to wire the money is: Name : Oladimeji Olaribigbe. City: Itire Surulere. State: Lagos State. Country: Nigeria. Zipcode: 23401. The first alarm is the name of the person I am sending the money to. Pastor Brian informed me that Oladimeji is his manager and that this man was taking care of all the arrangements for the Pastor because the Pastor was so busy with his "god work." Pastor Brian continued to call me multiple times throughout the day asking when I was going to send the money. He began pressuring and yelling me saying he had other offers, but I wasn't buying it. At this point I told him I was no longer interested in the dogs. I think he called me seven times in one day. The Pastor tried several ways to manipulate me into sending him the $900 ASAP. I just do not want anyone else to be taken advantage of. I found multiple advertisements by James Michael on the web regarding his french bulldogs. He didn't only post on puppyfind.com. I also found similar stories to mine (except the people lost their money) of a US breeder referring people to a Pastor in Africa doing "god's work." The stories are all the same except different used, some are Pastor James, Pastor Harry, etc. Before buying ask to see a pic of the Pastor with the dog, or tell him that you have colleagues in the area that would like to come by and look at the dog. If they say no, you know it

Hey Stephanie!
Yeah! I TOTALLY agree with you! We payed about $850 for our Coton, shipping and everything (Which I hear is pretty cheap for the breed, but it was this breed's first litter, so we lucked out. They have raised their prices since.). Anyway, the GREAT thing was...we actually GOT the dog! So, like you, I had NO problem paying more from someone legit. We got the dog, and he has been AWESOME for us!!!
And, yep! Sometimes, mean and to the point is the only thing that will get through...especially to people that are dishonets and SCAM!
I wish you the best in finding the dog that you are wanting. We found out that there ARE good reputable breeders around, it is just a matter of finding them.
Sincerely,
JoJo

Hee, Hee, I meant "dishonest" not "dishonets"...but hey! Close enough!

Well they are still at it, with a different email address. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)... Luckily I can spot scam, but some people cant. These people need to be stopped, using puppies and God to scam good people out of there hard earned money is about as low as you can get. Here is the email they sent me.

From: Jeffery Boden [mailto:jeffboden31@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 4:24 AM
To: Chris
Subject: Re: English Bulldog

Thanks for your interest in my lovely baby.She is still very much available for new home.She is 11 weeks old,she will be 60lbs at full grown,her parents weighed 55-60lbs at full grown, She is AKC registered and her shots are given up to date,she is vet checked and healthy.All her papers will accompany her, But right now i am in africa on a Christian mission with my wife and we have her right here with us.We are going to ship her to you via Express pets delivery on next day delivery after shippment through a shipping agent , i am leaving her for $600 Including shipping.If you are interested in having her, i want you to get back to me with your full name,address including the nearest airport to you.Please if you know that you are not going to take very good care of my baby do not reply me because i am only giving her out because we dont have time to take care of her again due to the mission work before us here.Await your response. View attached file for more pictures.

Thanks and God Bless
Mr & Mrs Boden

Hi this is one of 2 emails i recieved from a man called "Tony Mike" email address .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) when i enquired about a bulldog puppy

Hello ,
how are you ,i am very happy reading from you.i am actually giving
mimi out because she used to belong to my daughter (jenner) but
jenner died last month in a car accident on her way back from
school.i really need someone who could take mimi ,give her love
,care and attention just as i normally do.
Mimi was born on the 08-27-2006 she is Registered ,has taken all
Current vaccinations, Veterinarian examination ok, Health
certificate available,she comes with a one year health
guarantee,very excellent Pedigree,she also has a Travel crate
please i am so busy wih work now and i really need a home for mimi,
email me back if you are ready to take her.i am in the UK.please where
abouts in the UK are you
located??????????????????????.maybe we could be close and you can
come pick her up.i have attached her most recent pictures
thanks

This is the other email, he was offering the puppy for free, and i thought that i would email him as i knew it was proberly a scam and i wanted to see what he would say to delivering the puppy himself

Hello Trisha,
i am very happy reading from you.
please note that you must accept the following conditions listed below
before i give her to you:

1-To provide warm, dry, draught-free, clean, spacious sleeping quarters
indoors.
2-To provide good and sufficient exercise at least twice a day.
3-To provide sufficient good quality food at regular intervals appropriate
to
the dog's age, size, state of health etc., and constant access to fresh
drinking water.
4-To provide qualified veterinary treatment in case of illness or injury,
and
to pay for all bills ensuing. Relevant insurance is highly recommended.
5-To worm the dog under veterinary advice (at least every four months)
6-To fit a collar with name, address and telephone number (where possible)
inscribed on it to be worn at all times.
7-Not to let the dog roam unsupervised.
8-Not to keep the dog chained up, confined or left alone for long periods
(guidelines: 2 hours while she is still a puppy and 4 hours as she grows
to be an adult dog)
9-To have the dog inoculated against parvo-virus, distemper (hard-pad),
hepatitis and leptospirosis etc. plus any other recommended vaccinations
e.g. kennel cough, and to have the annual boosters done for the rest of the
dog's life.
10-To provide proper care in the event of absence (e.g. holidays, sickness
etc.)

since you dont drive ,i could ship her to you at your expence,the shipping
from here to you in bristol will cost

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