Acting as Pedal Express

Armando –

Victim Location 80902

Total money lost $3,261

Type of a scam Online Purchase

I ordered a Pomsky puppy off of an ad I found on Denver Colorado’s Craigslist. The seller’s name is Peter Faith, Southfield MI 48034. His phone number is (248)532-3771 and his email is [email protected] The puppy cost $270 and shipping costs $200. The family said they could ship him via Pedal Express. I sent money via moneygram to Segeonza Falcoine, Southfield, MI 48034 for a total of $470. I received an email stating that I could track the puppy via their website, pedalexpress.us, with the tracking number PEX140674928. The Carrier reference number was AE2124413445.

After the initial payment, I received an email and a phone call from a man claiming to be John Elis, stating that the provided crate was not suitable and I needed to get him a weatherproof crate for $830 and $700 would be refunded back to me. This seemed to be legitimate as the weather that day was around freezing. I sent the money to Segeonza again.

I was then notified that the puppy needed pet insurance in order to be able to fly at the cost of $1200, which would be refunded. I called the airport to confirm this and they said there was no such thing. I notified John, and he said it was a company policy. I sent the money to Segeonza, but was informed that they were not available to receive the money and I needed to send it to Floirek Blaunner, Southfield, MI 48034. After cancelling the payment, I was told that I could not make any more transactions that day via moneygram. I attempted to go through Western Union who denied it. I then asked a friend to send it under his name, Benjamin Perry, and I gave him cash. He sent it to Floirek.

The company then said that I needed a permit for the puppy before they could send him, so I went to the Humane society to check this, and they said that there was a county registration that the puppy would need to stay here. I did not have the shot records, so I asked for a picture of them. The company sent me a blurry picture of shot records, but could not send me a clearer one as they were dealing with other customers. I called AKC, who appeared to be on the records and they did not have Peter Faith in their records. The company threatened to turn the puppy over to the police where I would be charged with abandonment unless the fine was paid. They charged me $150 to get the registration and an extra $500 as they held the dog overnight. The money was sent to Floirek.

The company then asked me to send $1200 to them for an emotional support form, because the puppy was showing aggressive behavior. I then called the St. Louis International Airport Cargo department, where Pedal Express said they were with the puppy, and they said that there was no such form and that private carriers could not fly pets in. Additionally, they had not seen a dog go through all weekend. I refused to pay the fine and instead asked for my money back and told them that they could turn the dog over to the authorities and I will deal with the charges later. Essentially, I was calling them on their bluff.

They asked me to send $53 for the transaction fee to send my money back. They sent me an email stating that I would get my refund as soon as they received the $53. I gave them one last chance and sent them the $53 via moneygram to Osweald Gorduon Southfield, MI 48034. They said my money would be sent the following day at 0830. I started googling the company more and found an IP address for the website showing that the company was on Greenfield St. in Los Angeles, CA. This makes sense as John only called me between 0900 and 1700 California time. I did not hear back from the John, after several attempts to call him, until 1400, 23JAN18, via text. He tried to convince me that the money could not be refunded until the release of the dog was paid for. I told him to hand the dog over to the police as previously threatened, and send me my money. Neither the dog nor the money were ever received.

The John Elis sounded middle-eastern. He preferred to speak over text most times as I could not understand him. Moneygram locations at Zip code 48034 include Advance America, Cloverleaf BP, CVS, and Treasure Island Liquor. A reverse image search of the dog shows that the owner has moved their ad to a different website, but are still advertising in Colorado. I filed a fraud claim to moneygram mentioning all three of the names used. The moneygram reference number is XCPS1061436. I filed a report with the Federal Trade Commission and the reference number is 92040955. I filed a report with the Military Police on Fort Carson and the case number is 134-2018-mpc056.