Always be careful when buying or selling anything online the same is true when selling pets. Where sellers succeed scammers look for ways to profit. With a little knowledge and some natural skepticism and common sense buyers and sellers can ensure that they are only dealing with honest people who are genuinely interested in their pets. Read on to learn how you can avoid becoming the victim of a puppy/pet internet scam. Here are some known online scams and ways you can avoid them.
Seller’s Verification Code Scam
After you place an ad to sell a pet and decide to display a phone number publicly the scammer contacts you and tells you that you need to enter a six-digit verification code to prove that you are not a scammer yourself or some kind of bot. You receive a six-digit code enter the six digits and you’ve now been scammed. The scammer can now use you to set up an online call forwarding account.
To avoid this simply refuse to send any six-digit verification and forward such messages to 7726 (SPAM) as the number will then be blocked by most network operators.
Seller’s Check / Money Order / Zelle / Cash App / Credit Card / Scam
You will be contacted shortly after you have placed an ad online. A buyer wants to send you a money order or cashier’s check usually over the amount you’re asking for. Later they will use a convincing story to get you to transfer the overpaid amount to someone else. The check / money order turns out to be fake and the money you transferred is gone. It takes 3-7 days for a check to clear both your bank and the bank it was drawn on. They will already be gone with the pet when the check bounces back.
Electronic Transfers to sellers are no longer safe as the scammer will send payment for the pet, pick it up, then contact Zelle / Cash App / Credit Card company and say they were scammed and did not receive their pet, and get the money refunded.
Seller’s False Agent
Obviously, the way to avoid this is to simply avoid dealing with private agents. Simply put, rarely would a family breeder use an agent to sell or deliver a pet. Puppy mills and big operations that have less than desirable living conditions for the pets sometimes use them, as they sell the pets wholesale to move them quickly. That is not to be confused with a “Travel Nanny” that can deliver a pet for a fee. Travel Nanny’s do not collect the money for the pets, and are paid by the breeder or by the buyer in advance prior to delivering the pet. They usually deliver by car or airplane, meeting buyer’s at the airport to deliver the pet.
What to ask for:
1.) FaceTime! (the only breeder’s who won’t do this are the fake ones)
We cannot stress this enough… FaceTime is your BEST FRIEND when it comes to avoiding a puppy internet scam. The majority of the puppy scams across the internet involve criminals who steal puppy pictures and videos from websites such as ours and use them as their own in order to advertise “puppies for sale” on a website that they’ve set up (usually hosted outside of the USA). These people don’t actually have puppies. They’ll ask you to send them a deposit, and then once you do, you don’t receive your puppy, and you never hear from them again. Legitimate puppy breeder’s won’t be afraid to FaceTime with you. If anyone refuses to FaceTime (usually it’s because they’re “too busy”), RUN!
2.) Wire Transfers Are a Huge Red Flag
Money wire transfers are completely untraceable, making them an internet scammer’s DREAM! It also happens to be the only form of payment that a puppy scammer will accept. Whether in the form of a classic Western Union wire transfer, CashApp, or even Zelle, these payment methods offer ZERO protection to senders, so make sure that you at least do your research to make sure that it is a legitimate company or breeder before transferring ANY money this way. And don’t forget… FaceTime first!
3.) The Tiny Puppy With The Big Round Eyes and Smashed-In Face
Another type of puppy scam is the one where a breeder or company advertises an EXTREMELY tiny puppy with large round eyes, tiny button nose, and smashed in face. Chances are… if the puppy looks fake, it probably is. In the French Bulldog world, the popularity of “Fluffy” or Long Haired Pups that sell for very high prices has led to breeding a long haired breed with a Frenchie, and passing the pups off for 100% purebred. Always ask to see the parents, & papers, even if not breeding, so you know what you are getting. Without a physical location to visit, buyer’s can’t see the puppy for themselves – so when the puppy arrives, it can be drastically different that the online photos. Face time!! More than once.
To avoid puppy internet scams such as the ones listed above…
- Do your research. Know who you’re sending your money to. Is the business licensed? Are you absolutely sure that you are on a business’ AUTHENTIC website and not a scammer’s site with stolen logos and images? Did you google map their listed address? A simple google search for public records can confirm all of this, as well as a business’ correct phone number and address.
- Whenever possible, steer clear of any online puppy stores lacking a physical location. Family breeders will be happy to show you where the puppies live in their homes – and also that the puppies are well cared for in a clean and safe environment.
- Do to theft of valuable pets, most breeders will not allow you to visit their homes. Sadly there have been many who had their homes broken into at a later date and puppies or all the dogs/pets stolen. So a breeder who offers to meet you at a pet supply store, or fire department/police parking lot are just protecting themselves. We usually meet inside a pet store for transfer to protect both parties.
- When in doubt, request a FaceTime video chat. If you MUST purchase your puppy online, ALWAYS request a FaceTime video chat FIRST. This way, you can make sure that they actually have the puppy and that the puppy looks the same as it did in that adorable photo they showed you. Ask for a second chat the day of delivery, and so you can see the person delivering your new pet.
What to do if you’ve been scammed…
If you are the victim of an internet puppy scam, you can file a report with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/ as well as the FBI’S IC3 Internet Crimes Department at https://www.ic3.gov/