Internet scams
 

Saw this on AOL today. Look familiar?

Adopting a Puppy or Kitten Online? You're a Scam Target

Mitch Lipka

If you're ready to adopt a kitten or a puppy from online listings, you have a target on your back, the National Consumers League warned on Wednesday.

The group's Fraud.org consumer complaint site has seen a sharp rise in pet adoption scams this year. Those who have been taken lose money and are heartbroken that the pet they thought they were adopting isn't real.

Here's how it works: You go online in search of your ideal canine or feline family member. After responding to the ad and expressing interest, the person on the other end will take the payment for the listed puppy or kitten. It goes downhill quickly from there.

The next step, according to Fraud.org, is the demand for additional money. Often, the requests seem plausible, like to pay for a special ventilated shipping crate or insurance. Each time you send more money, there will be another reason for the seller to ask for still more. "This continues until the victim, now often out hundreds or thousands of dollars catches on and stops sending money," according to group.

It eventually becomes clear there is no real animal available for sale. Often, the photos used to lure victims were lifted from another site.

The group provided this example from a complaint filed by a Massachusetts woman:

A Sad Story

"I was looking to purchase a Yorkshire terrier puppy for my 2 little kids. I found one that I was really interested in. It was a 9-week-old female Yorkie. I emailed 'the owner.' ... The puppy was $500, and he told me that was already included with shipping and everything. He told me to put the $500 on a Reloadit card, which I did, and I gave him that. He sent me an email of a flight ticket, which I now know that it was not real because I called American Airlines and the flight ticket was a fake.

"An agency started emailing me stating that I had to send them $970 for a 'crate' for the puppy to arrive to me safe while on flight due to the weather. I was told it was refundable when my puppy would arrive. I was told to send it by Western Union, which I did. Once that happened ... I was asked to send $1,500 now for the pet's insurance to get sent to me, which was also supposed to be refunded to me. I sent that money through MoneyGram. I was supposed to receive my puppy on March 7, 2015 in the morning, and I never received the puppy.

"Then I received another email stating I had to send ANOTHER payment of $760 to update her shots before she takes off. It was already sounding a little bit too good to be true to me, but that's when I finally realized that this was a scam."

Additional examples can be found on the ASPCA's Pet-Related Scams website.

Don't Get Taken

Here are some tips from Fraud.org to help you avoid becoming a victim:

Don't pay money for a pet you haven't seen in person.
Get your animal locally. Be very cautious if you're dealing someone out of town.
Visit a local shelter or breed rescue group to see if they have the type of animal you're interested in.
If you do decide to deal with an out-of-town seller, do your homework. Don't send any money until you've verified they are who they claim to be and have an established track record.
Beware of free pet offers. That is often how victims get drawn in to these scams.

I have heard about these stories. What I am wondering about then is how do I determine if the breeder I am speaking with online/telephone/email is real and has puppies to sell me?

I am in the process of looking for a breeder to buy another yorkie puppy within the next year to year and a half. How do I know if the breeder I find is the real deal then?

It was at the bottom of the article. Go by these rules and you shoud be good.

Don't pay money for a pet you haven't seen in person.
Get your animal locally. Be very cautious if you're dealing someone out of town.
Visit a local shelter or breed rescue group to see if they have the type of animal you're interested in.
If you do decide to deal with an out-of-town seller, do your homework. Don't send any money until you've verified they are who they claim to be and have an established track record.
Beware of free pet offers. That is often how victims get drawn in to these scams.

It is a very sad story and the person taking the money should be hung by their private parts but I have to ask the question: How can someone be that naive ( I wanted to use another word)?

scam
 

I really don't know how one can be 100% sure of a real breeder.
You could always go the the Yorkie Club (YTCA I think) web site for approved breeders, ask on YT about a specific breeder, ask here for a breeder who has pups, or for any good references. Also abide by the tips on the posted scam page.
The main thing is paying money up front to an unknown person. It is so much better if you get an approved breeder that you can visit and inspect the situation, and see the pups and their parents.
Good Luck:-)

I believe that most responsible breeders will ask for a deposit when you reserve the puppy, give you a legally binding signed receipt, and then ask for the balance when you pick up the puppy. If someone asks you for the full amount BEFORE you get physical possession of the puppy, and with no signed legal documents, I'd run the opposite direction.

I haven't been able to find any breeders around where I live. Both breeders I have been speaking with I found via their FB pages. Obviously I won't be able to go visit with them before I pick up the puppy. I will check out the YTCA website for approved breeders.

Every breeder I have spoken to, you have to give them a deposit to hold the puppy. I haven't found one yet where they would let you pay them when you pick up the puppy.

Since I am going to wait a year or two, I have some time to look some more. If anyone on here knows of any breeders around Syracuse NY, I would be happy if you would let me know.

Scam
 

Sorry you have not been able to locate a breeder near you, but hope you will be able to as you have plenty of time. But you may have to travel a reasonable distance from your home to get an approved breeder. There are breeders on YT that are totally reliable and many here do buy from them on reputation only without a visit.
Yes it is usual and expected for breeders to ask for a deposit to secure the pup, but one just has to know the breeder is ok first:) Certainly it is not usual to pay the full cost up front.
It is great that you are taking such care to find the right breeder and not get caught buying from a greeder or puppy mill. Good luck in your search and research:)

Yikes! I get emails all the time.. Hard to see people keep paying before realizing it's a scam!

You would think after the internet being around so long with so many stories of the zillions of scams, including more than a few about fake puppy scams, most people would have heard of all the online horrors and be on the lookout.

Who does hundreds or thousands of dollars of business online with totally unknown people, though? That is never wise and pictures of the dog or item for sale mean absolutely nothing. This day and time who is still so trusting as to ever buy anything online, seller and product sight-unseen, unless it's from a well-known website with a record of good customer service? Still you feel sorry for those that somehow still get caught up in these things and send money to out-and-out thieves.

Simply never buy anything online without credit card. Sending cash is a never. CC you have fraud protection.