It's a new scam sweeping the nation. There are people out there posing as dog breeders…waiting to take your money, but never sending you the dog.

Joy Schick's Yorkshire Terrier 'Lord Fredrick' was part of the family. But, at 17-years-old, he got sick and had to be put to sleep. Joy decided to get a new puppy, but nixed her neighborhood pet shop.

"We just thought their prices were a little out of range. They wanted $3,000 for a Yorkie," Joy explains.

Then, one day while reading the newspaper classifieds, Joy stumbled upon an ad offering a purebred Yorkie for $400!

"I couldn't believe my eyes," Joy says.

There was no phone number listed… only an email address. Joy quickly made arrangements to buy the pup. Sue McConnell with the Better Business Bureau says Joy was close to falling prey to a growing scheme.

"Unfortunately, people looking for puppies have found themselves the victims of scams now," McConnell warns.

The scammers post ads in newspapers or set up web sites to sell purebreds from out-of-state at discounted prices. They generally only correspond through email and ask buyers to wire money. The funds are sent, but the puppy is never delivered.

It's such a problem...the Better Business Bureau is issuing a consumer alert.

"It's coming to our attention more and more," McConnell says.

It's also coming to the attention of legitimate breeders. Sharon Pearson is a member of the American Kennel Club and breeds show-quality Maltese. She says she was shocked to discover pictures of her pups used in other ads!

"I found a bunch of my dogs' pictures that had been stolen off my website. I felt kind of vandalized, you know, that people were using my pictures to scam people for money."

There are warning signs. The American Kennel Club says fake breeders generally don't accept personal checks, and demand wired money. Another red flag: Promising to deliver a puppy within 24-hours.

"The puppies have to be at least eight weeks old before they can send them to their new owner. So, anyone that says they have a variety of different breeds ready to go within 24-hours, it's highly unlikely there's an actual litter behind that," says Lisa Peterson with the American Kennel Club.

The AKC warns to be wary of breeders who won't speak with you on the phone, and are offering deep discounts. It's also important to ask for references.

Luckily, Joy didn't end up paying for the puppy advertised in the paper. The more she emailed … the more suspicious she became. She contacted police, and they told her there had been other victims.

"I learned a long time ago, when something sounds too good to be true, most of the time it's not true."

She ended up buying her new love 'Freddie' from a breeder close to home. He cost more, but Joy says he's worth every dime.

And if you get scammed, the Better Business Bureau warns you may be out of luck recovering your cash. While many of these so-called breeders say they're based in this country, the BBB says most operate out of Africa... making law enforcement difficult.

The American Kennel Club says it has a section on its web site where you can find contact information for the parent club of each recognized breed. It can put you in touch with recommended breeders.