How to Avoid Internet Pet Scams

Buying a new pet on the Internet is usually not a good idea. In addition to unscrupulous dealers and puppy mills/brokers selling their “stock” to unsuspecting buyers—online scammers use elaborate websites and fabricated stories to bilk substantial amounts of money out of people for pets that don't even exist. And the pets that do exist, very often have serious, if not fatal health problems. Here are ways to keep from getting duped by online pet sellers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Never buy a pet without visiting the facility where the pet was bred and seeing how the parents are living first. This will ensure that the pet is not from a puppy mill. In addition to U.S. puppy mills, tens of thousands of dogs are shipped into the U.S. from puppy mills in foreign countries. Puppy mills are inhumane factory-style operations that churn out puppies to be sold for a quick profit. Puppy mill puppies are often malnourished and taken from their mothers too early, as well as have a host of inherited health disorders.
2. Don’t buy pets from a distant buyer, seller or adopter. Often times a buyer isn’t aware that their puppy was born overseas in a puppy mill, then sold to a U.S. broker.
3. Check references, which can include veterinarians and others who've purchased pets from this breeder. And make sure you deal directly with a breeder, not a broker.
4. Don’t deal with anyone who promises a free puppy for just the cost of shipping. Scammers in these types of transactions often ask you to send more money because the nonexistent dog is "stuck at the airport" for various reasons such as customs complications or problems with the crate.
5. Don’t fall for claims that the seller represents an animal shelter or is a “good Samaritan” offering the dogs for "adoption." Reputable shelters do not place animals by sending out mass emails and then shipping them to people.
6. Never purchase a puppy with the promise of getting the AKC (American Kennel Club) papers from the seller at a later time. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for puppies to be ready for a new home, which is ample time for the breeder to receive the papers. It takes a couple of weeks through the mail and only a week if registration is done online. The AKC cannot help you get papers after the sale.

Tips & Warnings

• See if any complaints have been filed against the breeder/seller with the Humane Society or CAPS, Companion Animal Protection Society (see links below).
• English bulldogs and Yorkshire terriers are two breeds that are very often promised in Internet scams because they are popular and expensive.
• If you are interested in a particular breed, consider adopting from a local shelter or breed specific rescue first. About 30 percent of dogs found at shelters are purebreds and there are rescues for just about every breed you can think of. Shelters and rescues screen dogs for health and temperament.
• Petfinder.com and Pets 911 are two large websites for finding adoptable animals. Petfinder.com lists animals from throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico and Pets 911 features adoptable animals from all over the U.S. (see links below).
• Internet scammers can deceive buyers by using readily available online photos or stolen photos of other people's pets to represent the nonexistent animal.
• Online scammers will often copy the claims of legitimate rescue groups and attempt to sound reputable by saying things like, "will only adopt to someone with a fenced yard." They may also copy breeder ads and claim to have registration certificates, vet records and health guarantees.
• The AKC requires DNA samples for all sires producing more than three litters in a year or seven litters in a lifetime. If a puppy does not have AKC papers, it is an automatic red flag (although AKC papers are not an automatic guarantee of healthy breeding).
• Beware of vendors selling sickly and very young puppies from Mexico that are smuggled in under cruel conditions. This is most prevalent in California and other border states.