SCAM Alert/Warning

1756 Corcoran Street Northwest near APT 1/2A, Washington DC

Description

There have been a number of recent postings in the pet section which are scams and fraudulent schemes. Here are some warning signs to look for: 1. The posting offers pure-breed animals for very low prices. This should arouse suspicion right away. Some recent postings I have seen are for all white Persian cats and pure bred Chihuahuas and even Sphynx cats. 2. When you reach out to the get additional information the poster will ask for your phone number to text you the rest of the information. They don't want a record of communications on CL. 3. The post for the animal will specify DC as the location, but the Google Voice number area code used is in TX or FL or some other location. When inquiring about a pet on CL ALWAYS ask for the number of the veterinarian to check up on vaccinations and confirm medical records. One person gave me a telephone number with a FL area code for DC and when I searched the number on Google it came up with a bunch of other CL postings for pure bred animals in other states! 4. They'll ask you to send them a retainer deposit to "hold your place". Sometimes they'll ask for as little as $10. DON'T send them any money! Especially, if you haven't seen the pet in person. 5. Use Google lense to reverse search the image on the internet of the pet offered in the CL ad and you may find that the image was lifted from another website and is not an authentic picture of someone trying to re-home an animal. REMEMBER: If it's too good to be true it probably is. Stick to reputable breeders, valid pet adoption organizations, and if adopting an animal from CL do your homework to confirm and verify the information posted and DON'T send them your hard earned money!