Wayne Residents Victim Of Online Puppy Scam: Police

WAYNE, NJ — Wayne residents are among others across the United States who were defrauded by the operators of a website advertising teacup Yorkie puppies for sale, Wayne Police said.

An investigation found that Basil A. Mummery of Ontario, Canada, advertised the puppies through the website tiny-teacups.com. Interested buyers wired thousands of dollars for dogs, but never heard back after the payment was made, according to police.

Wayne residents aren't the only victims, as others have been identified in Florida, Louisiana, New York and South Carolina.

As for Mummery, he's believed to be in Canada, but is charged on a complaint summons. He hasn't been arrested, police said.

Puppy scams have been on the rise since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic saw an uptick in the demand for pets.

The Better Business Bureau saw nearly 4,000 pet fraud reports from the U.S. and Canada in 2020. BBB officials advise "extreme caution when shopping for a pet online, especially in light of scammers’ evolving tactics."

"COVID-19 has made for a long and uncertain year, and a ‘quarantine puppy’ or other pet has proven to be a comfort for many people, but it also has created fertile ground for fraudsters," said Michelle L. Corey, BBB St. Louis president and CEO.

Pet fraud schemes have been on a steady rise since 2017 according to BBB statistics, but both money lost and scams reported more than doubled from 2019 to 2020.

The projected dollar loss from these scams in 2020 is expected to top $3 million, more than six times the total losses reported in 2017.

Anyone with additional information is asked to notify Detective Michael Polifrone at polifronem@waynetownship.com or (973) 633-3537.

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