A twenty-one-year-old from Prague came across an ad of a current man selling a dachshund on an internet portal for breeders. When they contacted the alleged owner via email, nothing seemed suspicious at first, according to police. “The advertisement and communication were trustworthy from the beginning and completely problem-free,” said Prague police spokeswoman Eva Kropáčová.

The fraudster then wrote to the buyer that he had a kennel in Italy and that the dog would be delivered by air. According to the agreement, he was to pay the money for the sale of the animal only when he took over the dog at the Prague airport. But then the alleged airport transport company found out that there were problems.

“As the first shipper, I require payment of a refundable deposit for the checked shipping box. Furthermore, in further e-mail communication, the transporter insisted on payment of vaccinations, feeding of the dog and other deposits for the insurance of the animal’s transport,” Kropáčová described the situation.

The person interested in the dachshund paid the required fees by bank transfer, until the amount finally reached over 100,000 crowns. When the fraudsters demanded more money, the victim continued to pay.

“At that moment he stopped selling and the alleged transport company stopped communicating with the man,” added the police spokesman. The police subsequently discovered that the money ended up in an undisclosed account in Cameroon. In the case, criminal proceedings were initiated on suspicion of fraud. If caught and convicted, the perpetrator faces up to 2 years behind bars.