To fulfil her dream of owning a pet pug, Paige Bell had been raising money for three months by baking homemade dog biscuits and holding garage sales.

In early January, Paige’s mother Tamica Perkins saw an advertisement on Gumtree, where an 11-week-old pug puppy was for sale for $500.

Ms Perkins called the puppy’s West Australian owner, who explained she had to sell the puppy due to her son’s extreme allergies.

“We really had no idea [she was a scammer],” Ms Perkins said. “She seemed really lovely.”

“She told me that she had been scammed in the past … That’s why she said she would arrange the freight [from Perth], to ‘pay it forward’.”

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Ms Perkins and Paige took the deposit to the bank, and then booked vet appointments and puppy classes in preparation.

Paige had already named the puppy Milly.

Prior to picking the puppy up from the airport, Ms Perkins said attempts were made to contact the owner.

Ms Perkins said both her and her husband’s phone numbers were blocked and their emails were left unanswered.

It was then Ms Perkins realised they had fallen victim to a scam.

Ms Perkins said Paige was “devastated”.

“All of the money that she had raised went toward this puppy. Every cent.

“She was very down for a while, and it was hard for her to come to terms with the fact that someone would do this.

“The worst part is the woman was aware that she was selling this puppy to an eight-year-old girl.”

Ms Perkins said the bank was attempting to reverse the transaction and police were notified.

“From this experience, always buy [puppies] face-to-face or through a registered breeder,” she said.

Ms Perkins said the story had a happy ending, however, and Paige will be fulfilling her dream of being a “pug mum”.

“We’ve had a Queensland breeder that has arranged a puppy for Paige from an upcoming litter,” she said.

Puppy scams can be reported via the Australia Cybercrime Online Reporting Network or anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.