Puppy Selling
Scams
AND
Puppies for "Adoption" Scams
There are too many puppy selling scams to give you a detailed list,
but here are some things to keep in mind & some links to help
you understand some of the most common scams out there.
Pet scammers often take advantage of free listing services like
facebook, craigslist & various free trading post
sites/newspapers to advertise their puppies. Many times, they are
advertising puppies that do not exist. They will offer puppies for
free you need only pay shipping OR they want you to send them a
money order to "hold" your new puppy and they never had a puppy to
sell you in the first place. First and foremost, scammers are out
for your money. They will tell you sob stories, use logos from
legitimate breeders, lie about pedigrees (you can verify a pedigree
with most legitimate pet registries, for example you can search an
AKC registration here).
HINT: Sometimes a quick google search for images of the
breed of puppy you are looking for will show you many sites using
the SAME PHOTO as the one on the puppy ad you are looking at - it
is one of the quickest & simplest things you can do.... search
for images (ex. bichon puppy (or puppies) or Jack Russell puppies
etc...) AND scroll through the 1st page of images presented - - if
you see the photo from the ad you are already looking at, chances
are it's a scam.
A fairly new development in puppy selling scams is the "puppies for
adoption" or "rescue puppies" scams. These are sellers who present
themselves as Rescues but are truly selling puppies on a large
scale. BEWARE - - PARTICULARLY IF THE "RESCUE" HAS MANY LITTERS OF
PUPPIES. The reality is that legitimate Rescue organizations don't
get lots of puppy litters & most that do already have a
wait-list of previous adopters who are wanting a puppy (they just
don't have a need to advertise the few puppies they do get).
Pet
Rescue Fraud: More common than you may think
Dog Adoption
Scams
How
Can You Tell If A Dog Rescue Is Legit?
Current Pet Scams
(not an endorsement, just more info on puppy selling scams)
How
to Spot a Puppy Scam Online
How
does a Puppy Scam Work? (not an endorsement, just more info on
puppy selling scams)
How does a pet scam start? The scammer will offer pets for sale or
adoption, advertising on facebook, Craigslist, TradingPost and any
other free classified ad websites. Many will even create custom
websites to lure you in. Once you send them your contact information
telling them you are interested in a puppy, they will go to great
lengths to keep you involved in the conversation AND get you
emotionally invested in "your new puppy". You can expect emails, SMS
messages and/or phone calls, all trying to convince you that they
have puppies to sell or give away. The goal is to get the intended
victim emotionally invested in a fictitious pet. When people act on
emotion they are easier to scam.
HINT: Much like doing a google search for images, you
can do a search for phone numbers & email addresses AND of
course kennel names (you are looking for things like reviews and
potential duplicate websites). An example, if I search for my
phone number online, I can see what city that phone number is
issued AND if the number is a mobile number or a landline. It may
be a red flag if the seller tells you they are in one city, but
the number is a landline in another city.
© Jen Fone, The ENPB Movement, Dog-Safety.net - Permission is given
to reproduce in whole or in part as long as this © is included (if
you put this on your website, please let me know)