How to Protect Yourself: Pet Scams

How to Protect Yourself: Pet Scams
Source: The Florida Attorney General

Over the years, newspapers and online classifieds have become a popular source to advertise pets. Unfortunately, pet scams can target either unsuspecting buyers or sellers.

Scammers target buyers by enticing them with phony pet ads. For example, the perpetrator will agree to sell the pet and deliver it after payment is received. Unknowingly, the consumer pays the perpetrator and waits for the new pet, but never receives it. By the time the consumer suspects something is wrong, the seller has already kept the payment and is unreachable..

Sellers are often targets of pet scams as well. A con artist may agree to purchase the advertised pet and send a bad check (or another illicit payment method) for an amount that exceeds the asking price. When asked about the overpayment, the con artist will probably claim it was in error and will instruct the seller to deposit the check and wire the difference immediately back to the buyer or a third party. The con artist then pockets the overpayment and vanishes while the seller is left with an invalid payment. Subsequently, the seller must absorb the financial loss.

How to Protect Yourself:

Before you buy any pet advertised in print or online, research the seller. Try to physically visit the pet before ordering, or contact Citizen Services, 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226) or 850-414-3990 if you are calling from outside the State of Florida to research any complaints against the seller.

If you are selling a pet, it may be best to request cash, a certified check or money order as a form of payment. If you decide to accept a personal check, refer to the Worthless Bank Check Guideline to prevent becoming a victim of a pet scam.