Pet lovers in Sussex have been warned of a money-making scam where pets are sold online but never delivered.
East Sussex County Council issued the warning after a family in Rye paid £250 to scammers for a dog which they saw for sale on a classified ads website.
The family believed they were buying the bulldog, intended as a Christmas gift, from missionaries in Belfast.
The council's trading standards team believes the scam was carried out by fraudsters based in Cameroon.
"This scam is sadly a common one, with the scammers taking animal lovers for a ride both financially and emotionally," a council spokesman said.
"Always insist on seeing an animal for sale in its home environment before parting with any money," he advised.
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