Since they are such demand, a chocolate Lab puppy is worth his bodyweight in cash. Unlike a black or yellow Lab puppy, a chocolate is the rarer color and now the most fashionable color of Labradors to have. Some Labrador breeders claim that there will be more chocolate Labs than yellow Labs born and registered by 2018. But for now, the demand for an adorable and loving chocolate Lab puppy has been a goldmine for cyber criminals.Pay Ahead Scams

Most internet scams involving purebred puppies like Yorkshire Terriers, English Bulldogs and chocolate Lab puppies are variations of what’s called the “pay ahead scam”. This is where you read an add or see a notice in the classifieds or on an online bulletin board that you can get a FREE purebred chocolate Lab puppy because of a very heartbreaking circumstance. All you have to do is send money for the puppy’s transportation to you.

Free is free. Free should never mean “wire $150 to this address at an overseas bank”. Hopefully, you can see how this scam works before I explain it. There aren’t any Yorkshire Terriers, English Bulldogs or a chocolate Lab puppy to be given away. You pay your money and then never hear anything again. It is next to impossible to trace the source of an overseas bank address. NEVER pay money for a puppy you have not held first.

Charity Scams

Another scam happens more in the wake of natural disasters and can be aimed to helping humans as well as pets like a poor, suffering chocolate Lab puppy. Sadly, these scams exploded with Hurricane Katrina, where cyber criminals pretended to be legitimate charities hitting concerned cyber citizens up for money. However, the money went right in their pockets and not one cent went to help anybody or their poor, suffering chocolate Lab puppy.

The safest way for you to give money to any kind of charity is to first give through the mail with old-fashioned check or money order. Don’t send cash because it will usually be stolen before it gets to the charity. The charity should NEVER contact you by email unless you have asked for them to do so.

If you think you have been the victim of an internet scam, don’t be afraid to admit it. If you tell your story to the Federal Trade Commission to help them prosecute the criminals. At least, no chocolate Lab puppy has been hurt. It may be a small consolation, but it does help to know.