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January 26th, 2022
Puppy Scams on Craigslist are becoming more and more common. If you are looking to get a new dog online, it is important to know about these scams to make sure you don’t become a victim. Read on to learn what puppy scams are how to avoid them, and what to do if you’ve been the victim of a puppy scam.
How To Spot a Puppy Scam
What Are Puppy Scams?
Puppy scams are when someone creates a fake posting for a dog for sale on a platform like craigslist. They then get you to send them money with the promise of shipping the puppy to you, but once you send the money, you never receive the dog.
People can lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars in these scams. Because of the strong feelings of love and excitement that puppies give you. In puppy scams, victims also feel a strong sense of disappointment once they realize the cute pup they found online is never coming.
Signs of a Puppy Scam
Craigslist puppy scams are like many other types of online scams, meaning there are a few tell-tell signs that let you know that the person who is “selling” the puppy is trying to scam you. If you see any of the signs on this list, you may want to consider looking for your new puppy elsewhere.
- There is an unnecessary sense of urgency:Â If the seller seems like they’re in a rush to sell the puppy, and they seem a little pushy, you might want to consider the possibility that it is a scam.
- They have a hard time answering questions about the dog. If the seller has a hard time answering questions about the dog or its lineage, be a little skeptical. Do your own research on the breed and ask questions about the puppy’s parents, where they are, their temperaments, and so forth.
- They won’t talk on the phone or video call. One of the fastest ways to find out if someone is an online scammer is to ask them for a phone call or a video chat. Most scammers will avoid phone calls and video chats at all costs. This is because if you talked to them on the phone, their accent would give them away as someone living in a foreign country. and they will refuse a video chat to let you see the puppy because they don’t actually have one.
How To Find Out If a Puppy Seller is Legit
Finding out if the person selling the puppy is actually a breeder or just another scammer can be pretty straightforward.
- Run a reverse image search on the pictures of the dog. Puppy scams are like catfish scams with a dog. Scammers will steal pictures of the cutest-looking dogs they can find on the internet and post them for sale on other sites. Go to socialcatfish.com and run a reverse image search. A reverse image search will help you find out whether not they really have the puppy by showing the sites the dog is listed on, and whether or not it is already sold.
- Run a reverse phone number lookup. Running a reverse phone number lookup on the seller will give you all of the public information on them. This can help you determine whether or not the seller is legit or a scammer.
- Run a reverse email search. If you are communicating with the seller via email, a reverse email search can show you the other accounts that have been made under their email. This can help you see if there are any complaints associated with the seller before you send your money.
Running all of the searches listed above is simple. Just type whatever information you have about the seller into the search bar below to see the truth.
How To Report a Puppy Scam
You can report online scams to government agencies online. One of the best ways to do this is through the internet crime complaint center. This is an agency that deals with cybercrimes. You can also report cybercrime to craigslist itself. This way, you can have the account removed to help protect other dog lovers.
Conclusion: Have a Scam-Free Shopping Experience With Social Catfish
Buying a puppy online can be a huge life decision. Your puppy will become a part of your family. It is important to make sure the person you’re getting your puppy from is a legit seller. Use the search bar below to run a reverse search on the pictures of the dog and the seller’s information to make sure that the sale is legit.
