Puppy Scams are Real

The holiday season is also prime scam season. This year, experts are warning about scams that target your love for animals. Everyone loves puppies, so scammers are focusing on the tiny furry friends to reel in victims.

Be Aware of Fraudsters

As USA Today notes, puppy scams first started increasing at the start of the pandemic. People were looking for something to cheer them up, so they turned to adoption. The puppy scam is still alive and well, and surging with the holidays. The scam typically involves a fake ad and the seller asking for payment upfront.

Scam Example

For example, a scammer takes out a Facebook ad promising boxer puppies for sale. You see the ad and contact the seller. The seller then makes up some excuse for why you need to send the money right away. They say the puppies are going fast, but if you send the cash via Venmo now, you’ll get yours. To make it more enticing, these scammers set prices for puppies way lower than legitimate places. While you can adopt puppies from a shelter for a few hundred dollars, these puppy scams often list their prices for about $100 per dog. Of course, after you send the money to the seller, you never see the dog. That’s because the whole thing was a con from the start.

Bottom Line

If you’re searching for a puppy, avoid online ads entirely. According to a BBB report on holiday scams, about 80 percent of online puppy ads were fake. Instead, go to a trusted breeder, someone recommended by someone you trust, or better yet — your local animal shelter. Puppies are great (but a lot of work and expensive), as long as you actually get the puppy.