THOUSANDS of Japanese have been swindled in a scam in which they were sold Australian and British sheep and told they were poodles.
Flocks of sheep were marketed as fashionable accessories - available at $1600 each - by a company called Poodles as Pets.
A real poodle retails for twice that much in Japan.
The scam was uncovered when Japanese film star Maiko Kawamaki went on a talk-show and wondered why her new pet would not bark or eat dog food.
She was crestfallen when told it was a sheep.
Normally I have sympathy for the targets of scams. But in this case, urge to laugh overwhelming.
Jay