PET SCAMS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

There is always someone who wants something for nothing and who is willing to scam anyone, even potential pet owners.  If you are looking for a pet online, whether it is to adopt, rescue or go straight to a breeder, there is potential for people with bad intentions to try and scam you.

Pet scams are illegal.  Typically they will use legitimate company names as a way to look like they are the real deal.  But, when they start telling you that the pet that is available for your purchase is their baby and give you several excuses as to why the pet is available, which typically are heart wrenching stories, that is a sure sign of a scam.  Also, they may tell you that all you have to pay is the transport cost.  They may also ask you to use Western Union to send money to a different country.  No legitimate shipper uses Western Union.  They also might even send you emails that have poor grammar and misspelled words.  Sure those things are common; not everyone is an English major.  However, when there are more mistakes than correct verbiage, that is also a sure sign of a fraudulent transaction.  There is actually no pet at all.  You will be padding their bank account and get absolutely nothing but heartache, feelings of sadness, anger and embarrassment.

Don't be a victim, protect yourself, and do your research about the seller and the transporter and save yourself from scammers!