WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Puppy scams aren’t new, but the Better Business Bureau says they see a spike every December and January, especially in Kansas.

This year, the BBB says victims lost an average of $600. The good news is that the amount has been falling in the last three years, peaking in 2022 when families lost $750 on average.

All of these scams start the same way, online, where buyers can’t see the puppy in person and never will. The BBB says most people stumble onto the scam with a simple search like “French bulldog for sale.”

Buyers pay the deposit and then the scammer adds extra fees for special crates or food, trying to squeeze as much money as possible. In Kansas, there’s even a popular term scammers use when making fake puppy posts.

“If you see the word teacup in an adverti

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