Google has sued a scammer for carrying out a puppy fraud. (representative)
Washington:
Attention Internet users! Google recently learned of an alleged puppy fraud.
The tech giant on Monday sued a scammer for running a puppy fraud scheme, defrauding vulnerable people, including the elderly, out of thousands of dollars with false promises of purebred puppies, The Verge reported.
In its complaint, Google alleges that Cameroonian scammer Nche Noel used Gmail and Google Voice services with dozens of usernames to communicate with the victims.
In one case, a victim paid Noel $700 in “electronic gift cards” to buy a puppy. After sending the gift cards, Noel continued to string the victim on and told them the delivery company needed another $1,500.
According to the complaint, the puppy never gained weight.
“The accused used a network of fraudulent websites claiming to sell basset hound puppies — with tantalizing photos and false customer testimonials — to take advantage of people during the pandemic. Unfortunately, this scam disproportionately targeted older Americans, who may be more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Google senior counsel Mike Trinh wrote in a blog post Monday.
Google has previously sued Russia-based hackers and marketing companies disguising themselves under its name.