A cruel puppy purchasing fraud continues to fleece unsuspecting people out of thousands of dollars.
It's unclear exactly how many people in the NSW border region have been conned, but The Border Mail is aware of at least six people who have lost money.
Albury officers have received information about three incidents, which involved puppies being purchased online, in just a single week.
The victims transfer large sums of money for dogs they haven't seen.
Once the money has been sent, the seller will often ask for transport insurance for the dog to be delivered.
In two recent cases in the Albury region, the seller asked for $5500 for insurance.
The dogs are never sent to the owners.
An Albury police spokesman urged buyers to be wary.
"Police are requesting members of the public to be aware of purchasing dogs in this manner with this fraud prevalent around the Christmas and New Year (period)," the spokesman said.
The RSPCA warns people about buying dogs online without viewing them in person.
The organisation says only "responsible" websites should be used.
North East purchasers have also fallen victim to the scam.
Beechworth Sergeant Mal Clarke last month told The Border Mail that sellers had threatened to report people to the RSPCA if they didn't take out inflated insurance.
People had used websites that appeared to be legitimate, only to be scammed out of significant sums of money.
