Right now, ruthless puppy scammers are lurking online—hopefully you’ll click on their website, post, or offer to help. Spotting the signs of a puppy scam can save you heartache and heartbreak. Scams include “dog breeders” that only accept wire transfers or wire transfers, or will not have live video calls so you can see the puppies, littermates and their mothers .
dog interviewed animal welfare insiders who revealed the tricks of these criminals and how to spot a scam.
How to protect yourself from the top puppy scams
Before you deposit that puppy, do your research on dog breed and on potential breeders. Know how much the puppy should cost, size and color standards. Any puppy that seems too good to be true (below market price, distinctive color, or size outside of breed standards), probably is. Here is a list of tips to protect yourself from puppy scams.
- Pay by credit card
- Find a reputable breeder by answering the following questions: Does she belong to the national breed club or any other dog organization, does she hold any position in the organization , do the dogs meet breed standards, do the people on the breed’s Facebook group page know her?
- Request a review of the contract
- Check if the puppies in question are on the list of puppy scams reported on sites like PetScams.comwhich lists the latest phishing sites.
- Know the walking rate of that type of puppy. If the cost is below that rate, it may be too good to be true.
- Does the puppy deviate from the breed standard in any way? Outdated sizes or colors may indicate a scam or dog owners raising unhealthy puppies
- Google the name of the breeder and the name of the company. Look for reviews and comments from previous customers.
- Meet the puppy and trash face-to-face or live video chat
- How do you get puppies? Many breeders ask you to pick up the puppies in person instead of transporting the puppies. If they want to transport puppies, make sure they are not a puppy transport scammer (see below)
- Do a reverse image search of the puppy photo to make sure it’s not an archive photo
- Adopt from a shelter or live rescue
Types of puppy and stray dog scams
Not sure if it’s a scam? Check out these top four dog and dog scams to see what they look like.
- Online puppy scam
Online puppy scams are one of the most popular schemes on the internet. Scammers set up sharp-looking websites and pose as dog owners to sell adorable puppies. They post pictures of popular varieties like French Bulldog, yellow doodle, Labradoodles And Dachshund, bank, you’ll love the pictures of happy, fluffy puppies. But these images are often archived or stolen from other dog breeders’ websites.
“I have seen videos and pictures of my puppies for sale, sometimes old videos of dogs now fully grown,” says Vivianne Hulsey, an executive conservation breeder. . Vixbull French Bulldog. “It’s crazy and predatory.”
If you contact these so-called breeders, they will ask for a deposit for the puppy, saying things like: “Send us cash now, or you will lost puppy. We have 10 people interested.” After you deposit, they disappear. Since the “breeder” does not accept credit cards, you may have fewer ways to dispute the charge and get your money back.
Madeline Bernstein, president of the company, said: “Pets are a huge, huge business, and these people have figured it out. Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles and author of Designer Dogs: An Exhibition. “These people are taking advantage of the love and relationship between humans and animals.”
- Scam transporting puppies
Some puppy scammers take your deposit and run away. Others moving to the shipping stage are often ugly.
“They find out where you live, then tell you they’re on the other side of the country,” says Paul Brady, a cybersecurity consultant. PetScams.com, track puppy scam sites. “If you’re in California, they’re in New York. If you’re in New York, they’re in California — so they can charge you a lot for shipping.”
Then the “dog breeder” tells you that there are shipping problems (for a non-existent puppy) and things get expensive. Paul knows someone who has lost $20,000.
“They’ll say, ‘The airport rejected your puppy, and you need to pay for an air-conditioned box,'” says Paul. “If you don’t pay, they pressure you and say, ‘The puppy will languish at the airport.’” Remember, airlines don’t require temperature-controlled crates.
Scammers may say your puppy missed the flight and ask you to pay them to buy another one. They insist on insurance money, vaccines or medicines.
Once they’ve sent you the money, they can give you your puppy’s actual flight number. Some victims arrived at the airport without finding any puppies, realizing that they had been tricked and crushed.
- Want ads, social media and Craigslist scams
Money-hungry thieves also write social media posts and want to advertise with sad, fake stories.
“They say, ‘I have a rescue dog in need,’ or ‘I’m a missionary sent abroad. I had to get my dog home quickly; he’s free,” Kathleen Summers, outreach and research director for the Stop Puppy Mills Campaign at Humane Society of America.
When you respond, the person may tell you he needs money to bring the dog to you, and that turns into a transportation scam.
“Sadly, good-natured animal lovers are often reluctant to give up because they think the animal is in bad shape,” says Kathleen. “It takes advantage of people who think they’re doing the right thing.”
Some ads To be about real dogs for sale by thieves, puppy owners, and backyard breeders. “You have a dog that is sick, costs thousands of dollars in medical bills, and the dog is still dead,” Madeline says. “The seller can’t be reached and you’re stuck with expenses. It is quite depressing.”
- Scam lose dog
Scammers also troll lost dog posts to trick worried families.
Leslie Poole, CEO of FBI Petsa free database to list lost and found pets.
Scammers call the number on the post and pretend they have your puppy. They ask for money to drive your dog to you or medical expenses because of an injury. The dog’s parents are delighted and relieved to send the money – through bank transfer, payment apps, or even gift cards, of course.
“After that, they never heard from that person again,” says Leslie. “That’s the worst. You need to verify that they have your pet before you transfer any money.”
Like an online puppy sale scam — you can request a live video chat with the person and your dog. Or find out exactly where they are and contact animal control or the local police.
Dog lovers have discovered puppy scams
Madison Nak from California hooked up with a website that sold exactly what she wanted: a cream French Bulldog.
“They were like, ‘I’ll send you the videos,'” Madison said. “It wasn’t FaceTime or Skype, but they said something like, ‘Here’s a video of the dogs in our yard this morning.’”
Madison became suspicious and asked them to write her name on a piece of paper, place it next to the puppy, and send her the photo. That’s when she found out it was a plan. She said: “They photoshopped the photo. “I never sent money. Luckily I wasn’t fooled.”
But Marsha M. from Kansas was not so lucky.
She was trying to buy a French Bulldog for her mother, who was battling cancer. Marsha said: “Her dog just died.
Marsha found a website that offers puppies at a reasonable price. (Puppies that were undervalued were a sign of a scam.) When she asked, they asked a series of questions.
“What kind of house do you have? What type of yard? They say they want to make sure their kids get to the right homes,” Marsha said.
Marsha made a deposit of $850 through a payment app. Then she discovered that the same “dog breeder” had dozens of similar websites, each selling a different breed of dog.
She sent an email Petcams.com and it confirmed the site that Marsha paid for was on its scam list. Despite her best efforts, she did not get her money back.
“I couldn’t believe people were so evil,” she said. “My mother ordered toys. She has food. I’m really annoyed.”
How do puppy scammers get away with it?
How do scammers continue to scam dog lovers?
“Many scammers operate outside of Africa without fear of being arrested or extradited to the United States to face criminal charges. Scammers know that,” Paul said.
Paul says the only way to stop scams is to educate dog lovers to stop loving them. “If you get an email that says: ‘My son is a prince of Nigeria, and we have $50 million.’ You know it’s a scam,” Paul said.
Marsha says she’s hesitant to talk about what happened to her, but she wants to warn others of the pain the scammers cause.
“I was so embarrassed,” Marsha said. “But it needs to be said, even if I can only help one person.”
Quickly spot a puppy scam: look for a fake logo
Beware of fake and stolen logos on dog and puppy scam sites
Scammers use the names and logos of legitimate organizations to gain credibility. If you have a lost dog, scammers may email you saying they’re working on real lost pet recovery—but that’s not the case.
“They said, ‘I can find your pet, but I’ll need to pay up front.’ That’s a red flag right there,” Leslie said.
Some scammers post American Kennel Club (AKC) on their “for sale” website. The AKC is a well-known pedigree and purebred dog registry.
“It’s a regular occurrence,” said Brandi Munden, AKC’s vice president of public relations and communications. “Our logo is easy to find online. Unfortunately, it’s not hard to download and slap it on a website.”
The AKC does not license or certify breeders or dogs. Dog registration team with required paperwork. If you have questions about the AKC reference on the website, email [email protected] and AKC will help you separate fact from fiction.
“Dig in and do your research,” says Brandi. “Scammers are messing with someone’s feelings, and that’s not fair.”
