The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has revealed scammers have taken advantage of families looking to buy puppies as their price skyrocketed.

Over $2 million has been lost to puppy scammers, with a lot of them operating on online marketplaces.

Deputy Chair of the ACCC Delia Rickard has urged buyers to be cautious

“As long as the person keeps paying, the scammer will continue to find new excuses to ask for more money,” she told Bill McDonald on 4BC Drive.

“If it was me I would not buy a puppy I could not see in person (and) If the price is too low that’s a really good tip.

“What you should do if you are determined to go ahead with an online purchase, first of all do a reverse image search … of the pictures of puppies because these scammers often take cute puppy pictures off the internet and just use them.”

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Image: Getty