Three Variants of the Puppy Scam
In one version of the scheme, the scam artist posts an ad in a newspaper or news website for a puppy he will give away free to a loving home. All you have to do to help the poor little pooch is pay the $400 shipping cost. Victims send the money -- but their puppy never arrives.
In a second version of the scheme,
the scam artist poses as a breeder who promises a purebred puppy for a
deeply discounted price. The unsuspecting dog lover can't believe
their good fortune. A purebred
Bulldog (which goes
for $3000) can be theirs
for just $400.
Be suspicious of any deal that sounds too
good to be true, it probably is.
Scam artists copy puppy photos from the websites of legitimate breeders to use in their ads. Some even set up an entire phony website, often using a stolen credit card, to make themselves appear to be successful business owners.
In an alarming trend, a large number of puppy scam artists have emerged from "breeders" in overseas locations like Nigeria, making prosecution more difficult. Victims usually receive contact only through email and are asked to send payment via a Western Union wire transfer or money order. This is a favorite payment method for scam artists because the money can't be recovered.
The third version is similar to the first two scams with ads placed on large puppy selling sites like Puppyfind.com , NextDayPets.com, and Terrificpets.com
What people don't realize is that the pictures used in these scam ads are "borrowed" without permission from other breeders websites. There are countless ads that use "borrowed" photographs from many other websites. Sad to say, "borrowing" other people's photographs from websites is very common to those with the puppy selling schemes.
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Champion Puppies has taken all the necessary steps to protect its customers. We fight all scams hurting honest breeders' credibility and our visitors' security. Champion Puppies and our fellow breeders work very hard to establish value and a high standard in breeding champion and show quality dogs.
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Protect Yourself From Internet Puppy Scams
1. Beware of anyone offering ridiculously discounted prices, especially if they won't speak with you on the phone. Confirm confirm the sellers name, phone number and address. Legitimate breeders and retailers should be incorporated and and can be found through the state where they do business.
2. Look out for someone who promises to deliver a puppy within 24 hours. Most breeds need to be eight weeks old before they can travel. Legitimate importers cannot by law import a puppy until it's 3 months old (4 in California). These laws male it unlikely for a buyer could get a purebred with such a quick turnaround time.
3. Ask for and carefully check references.
4. Be suspicious of a seller who only accepts wire payments or money orders. Use a payment method that offers fraud protection, such as a credit card or bank card. Champion Puppies uses only PayPal (The largest and most trusted online credit card payment processing service) to process payments.
5. Once you have determined that the Seller you have chosen has the puppy you want, ensure that you have a clearly defined contract prior to the purchase of the dog. The contract should specifically state what dog you are going to receive, what registration, if any, you will receive and the timeframe to receive the registration papers, what type of health guarantee comes with the dog and what is the process of reimbursement and/or return if the dog is sick, etc. Most contracts will state that you need to have the pup seen by a vet within a specific timeframe. A clearly defined, signed, contract will protect both the Buyer and the Seller and will avoid any problems that could arise from miscommunication. If you or the Breeder make an agreement that is not included within the contract, get it in writing. Champion Puppies offers a GUARANTEE unmatched by any other puppy retailer!
Important Information About Puppy Mills
If you want a dog in your life, please don't buy a puppy mill puppy. Pet store clerks and other sellers will never admit their dogs come from puppy mills. How do you separate fact from fiction? The facts:
- Pet stores cater to impulsive buyers
and consumers seeking convenient transactions.
These stores don't interview prospective buyers to ensure responsible, lifelong homes for the pets they sell, and the stores may be staffed by employees with limited knowledge about pets and pet care. - A "USDA-inspected" breeder does not mean a "good" breeder. Be wary of claims by pet store staff that they sell animals only from breeders who are "USDA-inspected." The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) enforces the federal law called the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which regulates commercial breeding operations. But the act doesn't require all commercial breeders to be licensed, and the USDA establishes only minimum-care standards in enforcing this law. Breeders are required to provide food, water, and shelter—but not love, socialization, or freedom from confining cages. Many USDA-licensed and inspected puppy mills operate under squalid conditions with known violations of the AWA.
- Many disreputable "breeders" sell their dogs directly to the public over the Internet and through newspaper ads. They often sell several breeds of dogs, but may advertise each breed in a separate place and not in one large advertisement or website. These breeders are not required to be inspected by any federal agency and, in many states, are not inspected at all.
- Reputable breeders care where their puppies go and interview hopeful adopters. They don't ever sell through pet stores or to families they haven't thoroughly checked out.
- Purebred "papers" do not guarantee the quality of the breeder or the dog. Even the American Kennel Club (AKC) readily admits that it "cannot guarantee the quality or health of dogs in its registry."
- Puppy mill puppies often have medical problems. These problems can lead to veterinary bills in the thousands of dollars. But pet retailers count on the bond between families and their new puppies being so strong that the puppies won't be returned. And guarantees are often so difficult to comply with that they are virtually useless. In addition, poor breeding and socialization practices at many puppy mills can lead to behavioral problems throughout the puppies' lives.
Please don't buy from a pet store, and be very wary of websites and newspaper ads. Puppy mills will continue to operate until people stop buying their dogs.
Finally, if you think you've been the victim of a puppy scam, contact your state attorney general or the U.S. Secret Service Office for Internet fraud.
Puppy Scam Alert - Champion Puppies
