Pet Ad Scams

Burbank CA

Description

Thank you for all of the emails from people who found this helpful! The scammers continue to try and delete this message. We spent weeks and made dozens of calls on puppy ads looking for a new member for our family. This is what we learned: The majority of the ads on CL for pets are not "REHOMING" or "ADOPTION" ads, they are people selling animals or people trying their best to SCAM you out of your hard earned money! Know the game before you start your search for your next pet/family member. This is all BUSINE$$ to the sellers!!! DO NOT get attached to pictures of cute puppies/pets until you have your new family member safely home! Many of the photos of pets and puppies are fake or stolen images! You can verify that by using Google Reverse Image to verify the photo of the "pet": https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=EN "Sellers" will often require or demand that you make upfront "deposits", "hold fees", "adoption fees", "rehoming fees" or "payments". Unless they will provide you will all their information and VERIFIABLE ID (copy of drivers license, etc) you will probably NEVER see your money or the intended pet. IT IS A SCAM! If a "SELLER" is requiring you to use a pay app upfront without providing you their complete VERIFIABLE information (copy of ID or Drivers License, etc), IT IS A SCAM! Take their information FIRST, call them back or look them up to verify that they are who they say they are. If a "Seller" asks you to "trust" them, IT IS A SCAM! If a "Seller" requires that you purchase a gift card (Visa, American Express, etc) to pay them a deposit or "holding" fee or if they ask you to, "just send a photo of a gift card to hold the pet" before you get there, IT IS A SCAM! Be advised - "REHOMING" FEES AND "ADOPTION" FEES ARE NEGOTIABLE!!! Once Again.... "REHOMING FEES" and "ADOPTION FEES" ARE N E G O T I A B L E !!! YOU need to be warned and fully aware of how these disreputable Sellers play this game to rip you off. I have received several messages from people who opened up their hearts, wallets, and homes only to have their $ stolen and never returned. I hope this helps YOU from being taken advantage of by the many unethical people that use CRAIGSLIST to scam people! Ultimately, we found our new family member. But it takes work, patience and effort to weed through the many despicable listings.