Online Pet Adoption Scams

With online scams on the rise please be aware of the many different types of pet scams.

Online pet adoption scams. Pet scam criminals often use free websites craig s list local newspapers or facebook to advertise pets that do not exist. The best way to avoid being scammed by those who are selling pets online is to educate yourself on the warning signs of a typical online pet scam. Puppy scammer list 2020. The staff at embrace has even been pulled into a pet adoption scam.

A scammer on craig s list facebook or e bay is selling a purebred puppy or kitten often for free or at a deeply discounted price for the breed. Expensive animals like bulldogs or toy breeds are offered at very low prices. Then they re roped into a pricey delivery. Here s how to spot them.

Do consider adopting from a local shelter or rescue group instead of buying a pet online. Scammers have been around since the dawn of time taking advantage of trusting individuals to get what they want. An unusually high proportion of victims of online pet scams are in their late teens or 20s according to the bbb. First a shopper comes across the fraudulent website either through a web search an online marketplace like craigslist or pet find or social media.

Here s how the scam works. Fraudsters are going after future pet owners by placing a false ad for pets online then scamming them into more money after they are emotionally invested in the cuddly ball of fuzz. Animals are offered up for adoption at no cost all you have to do is pay for the shipping. There are online pet adoption scams that can be dangerous.

An internal report the federal trade commission prepared in 2015. Bbb scamtracker contains 907 reports on this type of fraud which is 12 5 of all their complaints involving online purchase fraud. It also explains how the scam works. In the age of the internet scamming has taken on a whole new and more dangerous identity.

You can look up adoptable animals near you at petfinder and the shelter pet project. Many times users are lured in by a cute puppy or other pet for sale only to find out that they have been scammed out of their money.