One in five people are likely to get a new pet by searching online.

James Bowen lost hundreds of pounds to a virtual seller claiming to be a legitimate breeder.

Vets and animal charities are warning prospective pet owners about the dangers of buying online after a popular pet author fell victim to an online puppy scam.

International bestseller James Bowen, the author of A Street Cat Named Bob, lost hundreds of pounds to a virtual seller claiming to be a legitimate breeder.

James and his fiancé contacted the seller after spotting an online advert for a litter of puppies priced at £850 each.

A virtual viewing was set up, but they received a message the day before with a photo claiming to be the last available puppy. The message told James the price of the remaining puppy had dropped by £200. 

Not wanting to miss out, James and his fiancé transferred the deposit to an account online and, a few hours later, a message arrived to arrange the puppy’s collection. Soon after, however, the messaging platform was disabled without warning, and no further contact was able to be made. James lost his entire deposit. 

Sadly, James's story is not unique. New figures released by Blue Cross show that between March and April 2020, 669 people lost a combined total of around £300,000 after putting down deposits for pets they saw advertised online. 

The animal charity said they too were inadvertently linked to scam adverts on Facebook after prospective buyers contacted the Centres in Cambridge and Manchester, letting them know they were told to pick up their new puppy at the location. 

Becky Thwaites. head of public affairs at Blue Cross, said: “Unscrupulous breeders and sellers are taking advantage of the increased demand for puppies. And, where responsible breeders have been stopping or reducing breeding due to concerns over being able to find the right homes ethically, criminals have been taking advantage. 

“Many buyers are simply not receiving the puppy they think they have bought and many are also purchasing ill, or even dying animals as criminals just look to make money and exploit the current environment, with no welfare concern. We can’t stress enough how people need to do their research.” 

Blue Cross data shows that around one in five of owners are likely to get a new pet by searching online, and this criminal activity will only accelerate further in 2021. One scam even saw a guinea pig being sold as a £2,000 puppy. 

The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: “Prospective pet owners must beware of sinister sellers out there who breed animals purely for profit with little concern for their welfare. The devastating consequences include crippling vet bills and, in the worst cases, animals having to be put down.

“It’s vitally important that people not only research the breed of animal they want but also the person selling it to them.”