TLDR
Fraudulent breeder websites and Facebook pages offer in demand breeds (French bulldogs, doodles, exotic cats) at below market prices. After deposit ($300 $800), buyer is hit with serial 'shipping fees': airline crate ($600), insurance...
How it works
Fraudulent breeder websites and Facebook pages offer in demand breeds (French bulldogs, doodles, exotic cats) at below market prices. After deposit ($300 $800), buyer is hit with serial 'shipping fees': airline crate ($600), insurance...
Red flags
- Urgent pressure to click, pay, or share codes immediately.
- A link or sender that does not match the official organization.
- Requests for card data, passwords, OTPs, wallet signatures, or bank transfers.
What to do
- 1FBI IC3: pet scams $4M+ in 2024 (likely under reported).
- 2IF VICTIM: card chargeback, ic3.gov, petscams.com reporting database, BBB Scam Tracker.
Source
FAQ
Is Puppy / pet purchase scam — fake breeder website a real scam pattern?
Yes. Treat the message, call, or payment request as suspicious until you verify it through an official channel.
What are the first warning signs?
Urgent pressure to click, pay, or share codes immediately.; A link or sender that does not match the official organization.; Requests for card data, passwords, OTPs, wallet signatures, or bank transfers.
What should I do first?
FBI IC3: pet scams $4M+ in 2024 (likely under reported).; IF VICTIM: card chargeback, ic3.gov, petscams.com reporting database, BBB Scam Tracker.
Can LegalAudit check my case?
Yes. Start a free chat and paste the message, link, sender, or payment details for triage.