Dog lovers warned on Internet puppy scam

LOS ANGELES, May 28 (UPI) -- A new online scheme ropes in people who want to save puppies from desperate fates in Nigeria -- only to lose hundreds of dollars or more to scam artists.

The Council of Better Business Bureaus and American Kennel Club Tuesday plan to issue a warning about the newest scam from Nigeria, The Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

The scheme uses phony Web sites, MySpace postings and print ads to appeal to puppy lovers -- usually showing pictures of cute bulldog pups that have allegedly become stuck in Nigeria, or other countries, and are being offered free to new owners.

Some postings offer pricey English bulldogs at deep discounts, the newspaper said.

When people respond to the ads, they are asked to send in hundreds of dollars for expenses -- shipping, taxes, shots and the like.

Some victims of the scam said they were fleeced for more than $1,500 for their "free puppies," but no matter how much money they forked over, they never got the puppies.