Avoid pet scams targeting animal lovers
How do the scams work?
Typically in these scams an advert is placed online for a puppies or dogs, and occasionally cats, to be purchased or rehomed. The ‘seller’ arranges the transport of the pet to you for a fee and may even provide you with tracking details. The animal never arrives and the victim has been defrauded of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
What should I do if I think I’ve been scammed?
If you think you could be a victim, we strongly recommend speaking to your bank to stop or retrieve payments and report the scam to local fraud authorities.
If you’ve been contacted by someone pretending to be Global Pet Relocation, please also let us know by emailing hello@globalpetrelocation.com
How can I avoid being a victim of a pet scam?
- Never purchase or rehome a pet online without first meeting it in person. Breeders and sellers with the animal’s best interests at heart will always be happy to meet you and usually want to know how you’ll care for the pet.
- Check the website details they provide you with carefully – search the company, email address and phone number separately to see if others have reported it as a scam online.
- Keep an eye out for poor spelling, grammar and layout in emails. They often look unprofessional because they are!
- Avoid a seller who asks for payment through money transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram, prepaid debit card or gift cards.
- If it seems too good to be true (such as offering the pet for free if you pay transport costs), then trust your instincts.
Where to get help:
For further information on pet scams and how to avoid them, please see the following sites:
Action Fraud (UK)
Humane Society of the United States