Puppy Scams and buying puppies
Regularly, we get phone calls from people who have been scammed, or checking if we know breeders, so they don’t get scammed. These are often distressing – people who can ill afford to lose money have handed over thousands of dollars, fallen in love with the puppy they think they are getting, only to discover that there is no puppy.
If you are thinking of buying a puppy, please don’t use places like Gumtree or eBay. This is where most scammers live. Contact a registered breeder through sites like Dogzonline.com or the DogsNSW website find a breeder https://www.dogsnsw.org.au/Breeders/find-a-breeder. If you are still unsure, you can check if the breeder is registered in NSW by checking here https://www.dogsnsw.org.au/Breeders/check-registered. Other states probably have a similar option on their websites.
Another issue we have encountered is a scammer using a registered breeder's kennel name and id. These are harder to spot but checking web pages and Facebook (and checking with us) normally shows the scammer living in a different town from the actual breeder.
You are welcome to email, text or message us to see if we know of the breeder, and if they are a member of our club.
Things that should start raising suspicion are
- refusal to Facetime so you can see the seller and the puppy, and perhaps its parents
- Asking for full payment up front, or very large deposit
- Wanting payment sent by things like Western Union, rather than providing bank details
- Asking for exorbitant transport costs (air-conditioned crates, additional vaccinations, quarantine costs)
- Not answering texts or phone calls
For further advice on buying a dog, see the DogsNSW home page https://www.dogsnsw.org.au/, or check out more information on scams on the Facebook page, Puppy SCAM Awareness Australia (PSAA) https://www.facebook.com/groups/666467654086008/
Most importantly, if you think you have been scammed, contact the police immediately.