Online Pet Adoption Scams

An internal report the federal trade commission prepared in 2015.

Online pet adoption scams. 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. Scammers have been around since the dawn of time taking advantage of trusting individuals to get what they want. Puppy scammer list 2020. Animals are offered up for adoption at no cost all you have to do is pay for the shipping.

Expensive animals like bulldogs or toy breeds are offered at very low prices. Bbb scamtracker contains 907 reports on this type of fraud which is 12 5 of all their complaints involving online purchase fraud. Then they re roped into a pricey delivery. It also explains how the scam works.

We aim to publish a list of the latest puppy scammer websites. Do consider adopting from a local shelter or rescue group instead of buying a pet online. With online scams on the rise please be aware of the many different types of pet scams. Please use the search function to search all reported websites.

Beware that up to 80 percent of websites advertising dogs for sale online are actually nothing more than puppy scams. First a shopper comes across the fraudulent website either through a web search an online marketplace like craigslist or pet find or social media. The staff at embrace has even been pulled into a pet adoption scam. 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.

You can look up adoptable animals near you at petfinder and the shelter pet project. Here s how the scam works. Pet scam criminals often use free websites craig s list local newspapers or facebook to advertise pets that do not exist. 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.

An unusually high proportion of victims of online pet scams are in their late teens or 20s according to the bbb. 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.