With the coronavirus pandemic restricting everyone to the four walls of their house, experts say that this situation has led to a peak in the rise of people demanding a pet. This is often in an attempt to save oneself from the boredom of being alone. However, this demand for pet adoption is used extensively to scam innocent people out of their money. The call for a cute little furry often ends up with these people losing lots of money even before they realize the scam.
How it happens:
The issue of scams revolving around pet shopping mostly happens online. In such cases, these cybercriminals and scammers clone the advertisements of legit websites and trick innocent people. Upon clicking on these advertisements with photos of various pets, the customers are guided to the website created by the scammers. These frauds then pose as pet dealers and talk to the customers. They also make sure that they do not agree to meet-ups and send the customers photos and videos of the said puppy or any other pet. These pictures are again stolen from legitimate sellers. This marks the beginning of stealing the money. Once they realize that the customer is convinced and ready to buy/adopt the pet, the scammers then begin to ask the customers for money in various forms such as insurance, health checkup of the pet, shipping payment, for buying a crate, food, and much more. They also make sure that the payment is non-refundable thus, trapping the customers entirely.
The warning signs to look out
Here are a few signs to watch out for to save yourself from all the pet scams out there:
- The prices of these dogs or cats are often listed at a very less rate than what the breeds normally cost. This is the first and foremost sign to look out for to avoid scams. To lure more and more customers in, the scammers may also quote the pet at no cost and only ask the customers to pay for the shipping cost.
- Another major thing to look out for is the emails provided by the so-called sellers. These emails are often filled with spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. Always read the emails carefully to ensure that you are not in a scam.
- The seller in such cases will not ask for money through several ways but only money transfer. This is another trick used by most scammers to ensure that they are not traced by the police or the cyber police. They also do not agree to meet-ups or giving the cash in person. They may give lame excuses or makeup scenarios to avoid the meetings in such cases.
- Another thing to look out for in the case of pet scams is that the seller holds up the shipment due to many reasons and continues to ask for money. This is also a major red flag for the customers.
How to avoid pet scams?
Looking out for warning signs while buying/ adopting a pet online is the foremost thing one should do. Being extra careful about the methods that the seller is using is another way. One should always double-check the facts and meet up with the seller before buying the pet.