Rooney Mara and Her Dog Oskar Star in New Holiday Campaign Warning About Puppy Scams Online (Exclusive)

"Criminals scamming online are completely focused on making a profit without regard for the wellbeing of animals,” said the Animal Legal Defense Legislative Fund

Rooney Mara is warning about dog scams this holiday season.

The 38-year-old actress, along with her canine companion Oskar, is partnering with the Animal Legal Defense Legislative Fund for a new holiday campaign urging people to avoid dog scams by opting to purchase a new pet from a shelter instead of an online ad.

"The holiday season has always been a popular time for puppy scammers,” Mara said in a press release about the new campaign.

She continued, “With local animal shelters and rescue groups overflowing with adoptable animals of all ages and breeds, I hope families who are interested in welcoming an animal companion to seek out their local shelters and never ever buy someone online.”

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In the new advertisement, Mara sheds light on online dog scams by fraudulent sellers online. She notes that up to 80% of online advertisements for the sale of dogs are “completely fraudulent” which means “there’s no dog.”

The actress said that people often click on a cute photo of a dog intending to buy it online, but what they may not know is that the photo of the dog is not real and the dog that people end up getting isn’t even close to the picture. She said the dogs from fraudulent sellers also often come from a puppy mill — which is a place where dogs are forced to live for the sole purpose of breeding.

The way these dog sellers lure people in is with signs showing that they have a USDA certification and medical guarantees, which are sometimes false. These sellers often also offer a loan to purchase the dogs, which have hidden large interest rates “up to 199% in some cases,” she said.

The dogs are then shipped off to the buyer in an “unregulated courier” thousands of miles and “without food and water on days on end.” “They’re often traumatized, lethargic, dehydrated, even life-threateningly so,” she said in the ad.

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The actress said people don’t realize they were duped until they receive the dog, as the dogs they receive are “underweight” or “injured” or even “suffering from medical conditions including deadly diseases like [parvovirus],” which can bring a costly veterinarian bill. “Yeah, there’s a lot of ugly hiding behind that cute picture [of a dog],” Mara stated.

The Animal Legal Defense Legislative Fund noted that many of these false ads come from websites like Craigslist under the guise of “rehoming” pets, but are in fact fraudulent sellers trying to sometimes sell “fatally sick dogs to families.”

"Whether selling sick puppies or fraudulently advertising animals that may not even exist, criminals scamming online are completely focused on making a profit without regard for the wellbeing of animals,” Animal Legal Defense Legislative Fund Executive Director Kim Kelly said in a press release. “Purchasing animals online should be avoided at all costs regardless of how repudiable the seller appears.”

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The Animal Legal Defense Legislative Fund noted that the “easiest and most animal-friendly way to avoid online scams” was to adopt a pet from a reputable rescue organization or local animal shelter.

“Adoption will provide a home for an animal in need while denying unethical dealers an opportunity for fraud," the organization said.

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