Pet scams use adorable photos and a believable story to push you into a deposit before you have seen the animal. The safest rule is to verify the pet and seller live before sending money.
Does this affect you?
Use this for puppies, kittens, and other pets advertised through websites, social media marketplaces, classified ads, breeder pages, and direct messages.
Check before you pay anything
A few checks catch most fake listings.
- Reverse image search the listing photos with Google Images, Google Lens, or TinEye. Stolen breeder or social-media photos often appear under different names and locations.
- Insist on a live video call showing the actual animal. A prerecorded clip is not enough. Ask for something specific in the moment.
- Search the seller’s phone number, email address, and exact listing text with the word scam. Reused scam details often appear in warnings from past victims.
- Be cautious with requests for gift cards, wire transfer, Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, or other hard-to-reverse payments before you meet the seller or animal.
- Watch for added fees after the first payment, such as special crate, climate-controlled shipping, insurance, quarantine, or airport-hold charges.
If you already sent money
Speed matters, even though recovery can be difficult.
- If you paid by credit or debit card, contact the card issuer and ask about disputing the charge as fraud.
- If you paid through Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, or another payment app, use the app’s report or dispute option immediately.
- If you paid by wire transfer or gift card, contact Western Union, MoneyGram, the bank, or the gift card company right away.
- File reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. These reports may support a bank dispute and help investigators track the operation.
- Stop sending additional money, even if the seller claims the animal is stuck until you pay one more fee.
More control
In-person verification is safest
Use a breeder, shelter, or rescue you can visit before paying. Reputable breeders and shelters expect questions and usually welcome responsible buyers.
Very low prices deserve extra checking
A purebred animal listed far below normal market price with a relocation or hardship story is a common hook. Low price should make you verify harder, not faster.
Shipping-only is a major warning
If the seller refuses pickup, refuses live video, and keeps adding shipping fees, treat the listing as fake and walk away.
Sources
- Better Business Bureau – Puppy Scams Study Report
- FTC Consumer Advice – Buying a Pet
- American Kennel Club – How to Avoid Online Puppy Scams