How to Spot a Pet Scam

By eHow Pets Editor

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Identification tags

Step 1:
Be aware of the scams out there. There are scams involving stealing pets and selling pets.
Step 2:
Keep an eye on your pets when you let them out in the yard. One scam involves stealing dogs from yards and then selling them to other people. Sometimes they are sold online. Know where your pet is at all times and make sure your pet has identification tags.
Step 3:
Be skeptical if someone phones and says they have your pet but want a reward before returning it to you. They may even say your pet was hurt and they had to pay vet bills. People who want to help you will not demand money.
Step 4:
Let the caller describe the pet. They may trick you into a describing the pet and then convince you it is the pet they found. Avoid any questions about your pet. Let them do the describing.
Step 5:
Beware of someone offering a free pet online. They may say the pet is free but you have to pay the travel costs. There may not even be a pet. The criminal just wants to you to send money. They aren't planning on sending you a pet. They may be offering the pet to many people at the same time.
Step 6:
Keep descriptions of found animals to a minimum. There is a scam where someone calls lost ads to say they are the owner of the animal you found. They ask you what the animal looks like. You comply. They say it's their pet and you turn the animal over to the wrong person. Instead, get the person to describe the pet to you or ask for a photo of the animal before you turn it over to anyone.
Step 7:
Adopt pets from local places, not other countries. Don't give your credit card number over the phone or Internet. Pets must be checked and quarantined before sending to other countries so it's not as easy as just paying for shipping.

Resources

Internet Scambusters Website

More Puppy Pages

How to Avoid Internet Pet Scams

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