BEWARE OF PUPPY SCAMS!

Kihei HI

Description

There are several puppy scammers operating in Hawai'i right now and they are very good at scamming potential furbaby parents. NEVER give a deposit without seeing the puppies first (or at least meeting the parents first). If you are interested in a puppy on a different island, ask to meet them through video chat (Zoom, Skype, Facetime, etc.). If they give you a big round around about not being able to meet you or not being able to show you the puppies live, chances are it is a scam. If they want you to respond through a personal email or phone number only and will not respond through the Craigslist reply option, this is also a red flag. Check to see if the phone number is local. If it is not an 808 area code, that is also a red flag. Many of the scammers will also add symbols to the title of their post or make the title a mixture of upper and lowercase letters. Check the zip code in their post. If they say they are in an area on Maui but the zip code they posted is on O'ahu, that is also a red flag. Lastly, if they insist the deposit be paid through "Friends and Family" Paypal that is a major giveaway because they know that the "Friends and Family" option does not fall under Paypal's Purchase Protection service. There is a scammer in (supposedly) Kihei who is very good and will tell you all sorts of details about Maui. I was very close to getting suckered but wised up after they had me going through text for several hours! I have seen scams for yorkie, dalmatian, bichon, and maltese.