Puppy Scams & How To Avoid Them

Tips on what to look for when determining if you have contacted or have been contacted by a scam artist concerning puppies.

A scammer claiming to be selling a puppy will often be using a picture which they have stole from a puppy sales website or someones personal website such as this one.  They do this by right clicking over the picture and clicking "save as" and save it to their computer.  They then go to classified websites such as puppyfind.com, kijiji.com or others and post that stolen picture as though they own that puppy and are trying to sell it.  They of course do not have a puppy to sell and only want to take your money and you will never get a puppy in exchange for your money.  The scammer will often have the puppy priced very low in order to make it more appealing.  Here is a numbered list on things to look for if you come across something you think is suspicious.

Wether you buy a puppy from me or not, I encourage you to use these tips in finding your new puppy.  This information is to help you not get scammed.  I am happy to help you identify a scammer if you are unsure.

1. The scammers usually say they are in Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria, United Kingdom and claim they are in these countries on either religious mission work and he is a preacher or they are there on official government business. 

2. The scammers puppy is usually free but only requires the cost of shipping, usually it is around $200-$300 but could be more or less. 

3. They claim the puppy can be delivered to your doorstep in 3 days or less.  THe problem with that is that most people selling puppies over the internet are required to be picked up at the airport with PHOTO ID of the person who is claiming the puppy.  The airlines DO NOT deliver to your door step.  Also, with quarantine laws it would usually be impossible to ship a puppy to your door step in 2-3 days.

4. A GOOD WAY TO KNOW IF HE IS A SCAMMER OR NOT IS TO ASK FOR A PICTURE OF THE PUPPY WITH A PIECE OF PAPER WITH YOUR NAME ON IT IN THE SAME PICTURE.  I HAVE PUT AN EXAMPLE OF THIS BELOW.  WHY DOES THIS WORK?   IF THE PICTURE IS STOLEN AND THE PERSON DOES NOT HAVE THE PUPPY, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO PRODUCE THIS FORMAT OF PICTURE.

ANY BREEDER WILL BE GLAD TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SUCH A PICTURE.  IF THE PERSON GIVES YOU ANY EXCUSE AS TO WHY THEY CANNOT PROVIDE ONE PLEASE, MOVE ON AND FORGET IT.  COMMON EXCUSES ARE THAT THEIR CAMERA IS BROKE OR THE PERSON WITH THE PUPPY DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A CAMERA OR COMPUTER BUT WHAT EVER THE EXCUSE, DONT BUY IT, YOU WILL REGRET IT.



5. The scammer will often require you to send the money via Western Union.  Western Unions in their own right can be fine, I personally have had to use them in a few cases where other methods just werent working due to technical issues.  But if Western Union is the ONLY option that is a red flag.

6. The scammer will only want contacted by e-mail and will not provide a phone number.  If they do provide a phone number, it usually does not work or belongs to someone they picked out of the phone book.  Scammers have been known to be reachable by phone.  If that is the case, use the other tips above to help determine if it is a scammer.

7. If the person claims the puppy is AKC registered, dont be affraid to ask for the registration numbers or litter number.  Call AKC and they will be happy to verify the dog exists. 
AKC's Phone #: (212) 696-8225