BATAVIA – Residents of the 300 block of Lake Street, Batavia, reported to police that they had been defrauded of $770 for the purchase of a pit bull puppy, according to a police report released after a Freedom of Information Act request.

The couple told police that they found a pit bull they wanted from a site called Bless 2XL Pitbull Puppies and sent the money through a Zelle account to a person in Texas, the report stated.

They were told they needed to rent or buy a crate for transporting the pit bull at a cost of $1,500 to $2,000 and received a “certificate” but believed it to be fraudulent, the report stated.

When they asked for their money back, a person they talked to said $320 of the money was already used to register the pit bull – then he hung up, the report stated.

Police left voicemails with phone numbers associated with the pit bull seller, the report stated.