Members of several families claim they were scammed out of hundreds of dollars when trying to buy puppies from a local breeder.
Jessica Fabri said she got a video of the puppy she said she purchased from Beach Bum Pugs.
It was just days before her family was supposed to pick up the pug, who they named, Penelope.
“This whole time, the last eight weeks, she’s been sending me pictures and videos of said dog,” Fabri said.
PHOTOS: Families claim being scammed out of money trying to buy puppies from local breeder
She said she met the breeder through Facebook and she seemed reputable.
“On her page, you see other customers posting pictures, asking for another one from a liter so you don’t think she’s a scam,” Fabri said.
The pug cost $1,000 and Fabri said she sent the deposit of $500 through Walmart money center.
After weeks of pictures and videos, Fabri said she stopped hearing from the breeder.
“I can’t find her anywhere. She has me completely blocked,” Fabri said.
Stacey Blais and her daughter said this happened to them, too.
“It was like she just disappeared, and it was time to pick up the dog and she was gone,” Blais said.
They even had a contract they signed with the company’s former name, My Heavenly Puppies.
“It’s heartbreaking because you get emotionally attached, you’re getting pictures and video,” Blais said.
Her daughter was using her graduation money to buy a puppy that she said she never got.
“This was supposed to be my dog, he was going to be a service animal, he was going to be a medical alert animal. Now I have to start over,” Blais said.
Action News Jax called the business owner, but her phone is disconnected.
We also knocked on the door listed as the business owner’s address, but the woman who answered the door wasn’t the business owner and said she was renting the house.
“I just want her to own up to what she did and give me my money back,” Blais said.
Fabri said she has been speaking with other victims as well, and filed a complaint with the FBI.
“I wonder if the puppy is even real, or if they were old videos,” Fabri said.
All of the women said they plan on taking the business owner to court to try to get their money back, but in the mean ime they want to warn others about the company.