Scammers copy photos, fake stories, and entire websites to trick people who just want a healthy puppy. These scams work because they move fast, use pressure, and hide behind low prices. The best defense is awareness.
When you know the warning signs, you can avoid losing money and keep your family safe from heartbreak.
Most legitimate breeders will talk with you, answer real questions, and make you feel comfortable. If something feels rushed, strange, or too convenient, trust your instincts.
Honest breeders will never push you to hurry, pay before talking, or meet in questionable places.
Always Try To Buy Local
Meeting breeders in your own state helps you see the puppy, the environment, and the people you are dealing with. A real breeder will not offer roadside pickups or shady meeting spots.
Local interaction keeps everything clear, safe, and simple.
Beautiful, healthy puppies are never sold for extreme bargain prices. Scammers rely on deals that look too good to pass up.
If the price is shockingly low, it is usually a stolen photo and a fake story designed to pull you in.
A real breeder has references, testimonials, a health guarantee, and a contract that makes sense. Ask questions and expect real answers.
If they cannot provide clear information, or get defensive, move on.
Have a real conversation before sending money. Talking exposes scammers quickly because they prefer text only.
A breeder who will not get on the phone is not someone you should trust with a deposit.
Watch for Fake Websites
Scam sites often look rushed, have only a few pages, weak details, and no real connections between sections.
A trustworthy breeder has a complete website with real photos, multiple pages, and information that matches who they say they are.
No breeder gives away a high quality puppy while only asking you to pay for shipping. This is one of the oldest scams online.
These offers often come with dramatic stories or emotional hooks meant to pull you in.
Know the Real Price for the Breed
Research typical pricing for the breed you want. If someone offers a purebred puppy for free or at a huge discount, assume the worst.
Scammers rely on deals that look too good to be real.
Craigslist is full of fake breeders and stolen photos. If you want a real puppy, stay away from there.
Reputable breeders do not use anonymous platforms to sell animals.
Avoid Sellers Outside the U.S.
Many international scams use stolen photos and promise to ship your puppy from overseas. Once you send money, communication stops.
If the breeder is not in the United States, skip it completely.
Take the picture of the puppy and search for it online. If that same photo appears on several unrelated websites, you are dealing with a scam.
You can also search parts of the text from ads to see if it was copied.
Never Use Unsafe Payment Methods
Do not pay strangers with Western Union, MoneyGram, Green Dot cards, Bitcoin, or gift cards. These methods cannot be recovered once the money is gone.
Legitimate breeders accept secure, verifiable payment options.
If you believe you’ve been scammed, take action immediately. Do not wait to see what happens or hope the situation will fix itself. Start by filing a detailed report with BBB’s Scam Tracker so your case is entered into a national database used by businesses and investigators. Then submit your information to Petscams.com, which specializes in tracking puppy-related fraud and identifying repeat offenders. You should also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, since they collect scam reports and share them with law enforcement agencies across the country.
If the fraud involves someone outside the United States, contact Homeland Security Investigations as well. They handle international cases and often work with foreign agencies to shut down large-scale operations.
The sooner you report what happened, the greater the chance of preventing more people from being targeted. Quick reporting helps investigators connect patterns, freeze accounts, and stop scammers before they move on to the next victim.
You can contact Green Dot at 800-795-7597, Western Union at 1-800-448-1492, and MoneyGram at 1-800-926-9400 to ask about your transaction.
These companies also forward suspicious activity reports to federal and state law-enforcement databases that police departments across the country use every day. When you alert them, your information doesn’t just sit in a file, it becomes part of a larger system that helps officers identify repeat offenders, connect cases across multiple states, and catch scammers who rely on staying anonymous. Even a single report can help investigators spot patterns they would have missed otherwise.
File a Police Report
You should file a police report with your local police department as soon as possible. Bring every detail you have, including text messages, emails, screenshots, payment confirmations, and the website or ad you interacted with. Clear documentation shows officers exactly what happened and gives them something solid to enter into their investigative systems.
After you contact police, reach out to your bank immediately. Financial institutions can sometimes freeze a transaction before the scammer fully withdraws or transfers the money. The sooner your bank knows, the higher the chance that at least part of the funds can be stopped or tracked.
Keeping thorough documentation not only protects you, it also helps investigators see how these scams operate. When enough victims report similar details, law enforcement can link cases, follow digital trails, and build a stronger case against the people running these operations.
