Buying Puppies Online Scams
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Buying Puppies Online Scams
In addition to disreputable dealers and puppy mills, internet scammers have crept into the realm of online pet sales, stealing money from unsuspecting people who think their new dog or cat is on the way to his or her new home, when in fact there was never really an animal at all. The only party harmed in these scams is the person who is out hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Tens of thousands of dogs are shipped into the U.S. from puppy mills in foreign countries, purchased by people over internet sites. Many people who have purchased puppies and kittens online find that their new pets are sick and often die from their health problems.
In other cases, the seller claims to represent an animal shelter or a good Samaritan, offering the breeds for "adoption." In these cases, it's important to remember that reputable shelters do not place puppies by sending out mass emails and then shipping animals to people. Internet scammers can deceive would-be buyers by using readily available online photos or by using stolen photos of other people's pets to represent the non-existent animal. They will often copy the claims of legitimate rescue groups and attempt to sound reputable by saying that they will only adopt the pet to someone who has a fenced yard, for example.
These scams are on the rise, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic brought a pet adoption frenzy. Of the online scams tracked by the Better Business Bureau, 35% in 2021 were pet scams. The average cost of these scams to aspiring pet owners was $1,088.
The AKC Marketplace is one of the best places to start your search for a puppy, as long as you are vigilant about the above warning signs. AKC Marketplace conducts thousands of kennel inspections a year and is the only online resource to exclusively list 100% puppies from AKC-registerable litters. If you find anything suspicious while searching for a dog on AKC Marketplace, report the details to akcmarketplace@akc.org.
For those seeking to buy a pet online, especially during the pandemic, the acid test of finding out whether you are interacting with a scammer is to have a video chat with any prospective seller. In normal circumstances, this can be taken one step further by always visiting the pet in person. Another good resource available to prospective buyers is my site, petscams.com, which is the largest publicly accessible website dedicated to documenting fraudulent pet and shipping websites.
Pet scams made up 35% of reports about online shopping scams made to the Better Business Bureau in 2021. The largest group of victims by age are those 25-35, followed by those 35-44. The average financial loss reported to BBB Scam Tracker was $1,088, according to a December 2021 BBB report.
The scams have hurt genuine internet pet sites. Courtney Dean, social engagement director for pawrade.com, a legitimate site, said people are staying away from online pet purveyors because they are fearful.
Lily Velez, head of special reports at Veterinarians.org, who analyzed the data, said in an interview that 12 of the top 15 states for pet scams also had high rates of COVID-19, leading her to surmise that residents there were doing more shopping online. She said there are several tell-tale signs of scammers.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel previously issued a consumer alert to provide tips to help consumers spot and avoid puppy scams. However, given the recent uptick in puppy-scam complaints, AG Nessel wants to remind consumers that they must be hyper-vigilant when attempting to purchase a puppy online. Use the following tips to avoid being scammed:
The ACCC sounded the alarm on puppy scams in particular in mid-2020, warning that a swathe of fake websites and online classifieds promising sought-after dog breeds were popping up to meet the surge in demand for pets.
According to criminologist and associate professor at Queensland University of Technology's School of Justice, Dr Cassandra Cross, the success o