Colorado buyer loses thousands in website fraud while trying to buy horse in Florida

A Colorado man lost thousands attempting to buy nonexistent livestock from a fraudulent Florida vendor, sparking a multi-agency fraud investigation.Fake Sarasota horse websiteAccording to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, the investigation started in July after a victim reported spending thousands of dollars attempting to purchase two horses from an online business operating as "Horse Adventures Sarasota."Deputies said the buyer initially sent $5,000 and traveled to Sarasota to retrieve the horses, but was told the transaction could not proceed because the seller had a family emergency. SCSO said the man went back to Colorado empty-handed.Detectives said the seller agreed to ship the horses for an additional $1,000 for transport. When the animals never showed up, the seller claimed the horses were stuck in Louisiana and demanded an extra $3,000 for delivery, according to the sheriff's office. Officials stated after suspecting fraud, the victim contacted SCSO. Investigators said the