Winkler Police are warning shoppers to be extra vigilant when purchasing dogs online.

On September 18, police report a local man fell victim to a scam involving an online ad for a puppy.

The victim provided his credit card information to the scammer in order to have the puppy shipped from the Yukon to Winnipeg for $835, however the puppy was never received. The complainant has since cancelled his credit card.

"With the continued increase of fraudulent online sales or purchases we would just like to remind people to be extra cautious when conducting transactions with persons or organizations that you can not verify to be legitimate," Winkler Police Chief Ryan Hunt says. "Unfortunately it’s best to err on the side of caution and avoid being a victim of a scam."