Cameroonian “Puppy Scammer” Arrested in Romania and Website Taken Down

• A scammer who was defrauding Americans by selling puppies online was arrested in Romania.
• The man was tricking the victims repeatedly, using fake shipping and Coronavirus-related issues.
• The arrested individual may now receive a maximum of 20 years in a United States prison.

Fodje Bobga, 27, a Cameroonian living in Romania for university studies, has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, forgery, and aggravated identity theft. The man has been arrested now, and the website he used for the scheme, “lovelyhappypuppy.com,” has been taken offline. The FBI tracked down Bobga as he focused mainly on Americans, exploiting their fondness for animals and tricking them into making virtual purchases.

From June 2018 until very recently, Fodje Bobga was putting images of cute puppies on the aforementioned website, offering them for purchase. Once someone bought the animal, the scammer sent them a false tracking number. The Cameroonian then called the victim, claiming to be from the transportation company, asking for additional money due to unforeseen problems that would cause delays. In some cases, the fraudster claimed that the pet had been exposed to the Coronavirus, and so they needed to supposedly prepare additional documentation to carry out the transportation.

At least six persons have been confirmed to be the victims of Bobga, providing the following details for evidence.

• Victim 1 – New Brighton, Pennsylvania. Purchased a mini-dachshund puppy in March 2020. Paid a total of $9,100.
• Victim 2 – Fruitland, Iowa. Purchased a mini-dachshund puppy in March 2020. Paid a total of $1,840.
• Victim 3 – Marion Center, Pennsylvania. Purchased a teacup Chihuahua for $600. Was asked to pay an additional $800 for shipping.
• Victim 4 – Dallas, Texas. Purchased a dog in March 2020 for $950. Paid another $850 for the shipping, to resolve supposed issues. Was asked to pay another $850 after a while.
• Victim 5 – Cheswick, Pennsylvania. Purchased a Chihuahua for $600. Paid another $900 to resolve supposed transportation and payment issues.
• Victim 6 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Didn’t send any money to the scammer as he became suspicious, but exchanged 55 text messages with him.

Fodje Bobga was arrested in Cluj, Romania, and is soon to be deported to the United States. There, he will face charges of wire fraud and conspiracy, which incur up to 20 years of imprisonment.

Forgery could add another five years in prison, while aggravated identity theft corresponds to a mandatory sentence of two years in the cell. Of course, all of that will have to be decided by the judge of the Western District Court of Pennsylvania, but it doesn't look very good for the scammer anymore.