What too do if scammed by someone!! help!!!

Question

Just wondering what a person can do if scammed by a breeder.

I was recently scammed by a sphynx cat breeder (message me for name of cattery etc) we picked out a kitten (born april 6th/08) payed his fee, payed his shipping fee.. june came along he was a big boy 2lbs she was able to send but he ended up with a cold.. ok (understandable cant send sick) gets over his sickness .. going through delta airlines .. weather is now a factor.. hmm ok understandable. then it cools down for a bit.. but he has got another cold...again *hmm not good i'd say ok so he gets over cold but its now begining of july. so just before she can send him he is weighted and is too skinny too come after getting over his cold.. ok well im still an idiot so i belive it.. mid july after is stint with high cal food , he gains enough weight too be shipped,.. yahhh! om she tells me next week how about thursday.. (sounds good!! im excited) ok i hear from her the day after thursday couldnt get a flight cause to hot.. (ummm ok) so next week.. well ends up too hot again (umm ya...hmmm) and so on till around july 28 th .she tells me thursday im going to send him as they are predicting cool weather.. (yahhh!) so i email her and ask which thursday did she mean .. as it was wednesday.. well she never did email back and never called either.. after numerous emails and phone calls nothing.. well its now AUG. 10 (in 10 mins ..it will be the 11th) thats along time too go if you aren't a scammer.. so what exactly can i do legally against someone who could do this,.. there must be something out there to protect us innocent people from being screwed over by these thoughtless ,uncaring cruel people. i dont want this woman doing this too anyone other hopefully buyer.. we were crushed,heart broken,devistated.. not only did we lose out on alot of money but we lost out on a special kitty. please any info/help is greatly appreciated. a good deed doesnt go unnoticed,

and just for the record does a person ever feel like a stupid loser after being scammed.. ughh!! its horrible

Answer 1

If this is a genuine cattery and not just an on line scam artist then you can sue for return of your fees.

Talk to a lawyer and take all paperwork with you.

It helps if you right down the exact sequence of events (like you have above) first and have copies of any emails.

Okay, so she's genuine. Being in Canada shouldn't be a problem, talk with the lawyer.

Answer 2

Take all the information you have to your local police station.  If you have email from this person, make sure you have the header in place that shows their IP number.  In the typical pet for sale scam they are in some African country and that cat never existed.

Answer 3

To help other consumers, you are going to have to identify who is doing this to you on consumer complaint sites like http://www.ripoffreport.com/ or http://www.complaints.com , which both feature consumer complaints in a bar room type of format.

RipoffReport says the site is for complaining about companies with U.S. transactions only; nevertheless, Canadian complaints are posted on it, and its advanced search engine includes U.S. states & Canadian provinces.

Ripoff Report's FAQ says "Reports can only be updated and not removed," meaning no more consumers being bribed or intimidated into silence. So, if you want to post online, stick to the facts if you don't want to get sued for libel.

Answer 4

Try talking to the press, your local journalist and one in her local area.

Sometimes just mentioning going to the press is enough to gee someone into action.

If she is a genuine business she won't want bad publicity.