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Pet scam Reports & Reviews (449)

- Seminole, OK, USA

I paid 1200 for a puppy, $340 for paperwork, shipping. Sent me fake paperwork and shipping details. Then the fake shipping company tried to get more money saying my puppy was on hold till I paid it. When I told the scammer I wasn’t going to pay anymore money they were threatening me.

- Sandy, UT, USA

I found a website advertising Sphynx kittens for sale. I sent an inquiry regarding a kitten and received almost immediate response. I agreed to a price of $700 for a kitten, with an additional $150 for shipping fee, as he was to be flown from Kansas to Utah. I asked to make partial payment up front and was told they would accept 60% or $510 initially, with the remaining $340 to be paid at time of delivery. I agreed and made payment of $510 via Venmo. I was first asked to use Zelle, but my Credit Union did not offer the service, so I asked if I could use Venmo and they accepted. I was given the following information and where to send payment.

Username: @sredman25

Name: Sapphire Redman

Amount: $510

Reason for payment: Payment for Leo

Last four confirmation digits: 2944

I made the payment and e-mailed a screenshot of proof, per their request.

They advised that they were preparing paperwork for transfer of ownership and getting Leo ready for shipping. They indicated that he would be shipped and received the following day (3/5/23). Shortly thereafter, I was suddenly informed that the shipping company Uship Services could not ship the kitten without "refundable" insurance, at the cost of $450, which I was told would be refunded at the time of delivery. The provided the following Venmo info, and I foolishly made another pmt for $450.

Username: @butterflycarmant

Name: Butterfly Carmant

Amount: $450

Reason for payment: Leo-#107

Last four digits: 0904

I made payment under the only @butterflycarmant that came up on Venmo, but had the name "Willie Eugene" under it. After I made the payment, I sent a screenshot of the payment to Uship as proof, per their request. Then a few hours later, I received the following e-mail:

Support <[email protected]>

Dear MY NAME

Your payment is still pending because you didn’t send as payment between friends. Can you cancel and pay again between friends? Or better still, cancel and pay through your breeder so she can follow up for you.

I also received an e-mail from <[email protected]> stating:

I have been informed that your refundable insurance payment didn't go through. You can send to my Venmo exactly the same way you paid for Leo so I can follow up for you from my end.

Use the following information to pay with Venmo;

Username: @sredman25

Name: Sapphire Redman

Amount: $450

Reason for payment: Refundable insurance

Last four confirmation digits: 2944

Kindly send me a screenshot of your payment confirmation so we can proceed with your delivery. I responded with the following:

I HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENTIRE SITUATION AND HAVE RESPONDED TO THE "BREEDER" WITH THE FOLLOWING:

At this time, I am trying to determine what happened with my initial payment of $450 that I made, as instructed, to @butterflycarmant. I sent a screenshot of the payment confirmation and I am now very concerned that I have been scammed. I am unable to make any additional payment at the moment, because I am out of money. That $450 was basically all that I had and was planning on it being refunded at the time of delivery, in order to turn around and pay the remaining $340 for Leo. I need further proof of legitimacy before I can proceed. I am also trying to work with Venmo regarding the payment of $450 already made. They are asking for information regarding who I was intending to pay, and I have provided them the Username: @butterflycarmant, however, they are also requesting a phone # and e-mail address. I would greatly appreciate assistance in getting this resolved.

I received the following threatening response from Uship Services:

Dear MY NAME,

MY ADDRESS

If your refundable insurance fee is not provided ASAP, we shall place your kitten under PET ABUSE/CRUELTY AND ABANDONING, which is punishable by law according to the rules below;

Many jurisdiction around the world forbids cruelty to some animals (PETS) but these vary by country and in some cases by practice. In the United States, cruelty to animals is a criminal offense and one may be fined or jailed for it for up to five years. On February 15, 1911, the House of Commons introduced the Protection of Animals act on behalf of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (R.S.P.C.A.). The maximum punishment was 6 months of "hard labor" with a fine of 12000.00USD. Aggression against Cats, Dogs, and People. In Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence: Readings in Research and Applications.. Press Release, 159-167. Jail Term 25Years in Prison. The said refundable insurance fee for your kitten is therefore mandatory.

I then responded:

To: Uship Services

I have reason to believe I am being scammed and will therefore require validity of your company and services as soon as possible.

To which they responded:

Uship Services <[email protected]>

Ruth Taylor

You are not being scammed and we will not provide any validity. Feel free to contact your lawyer because we will be proceeding with pet abandonment. Enjoy the rest of your day.

AT THIS POINT I WAS CERTAIN THAT I WAS BEING SCAMMED, BUT SENT ONE LAST E-MAIL TO THEM:

TO: Uship Services

Any reputable company should be able to provide the requested information, to assure customer confidence and satisfaction. I sincerely hope you would demonstrate understanding when people have these types of concerns, given the risks that people face online. Please assist, so I can work to resolve thru the proper channels.

Concurrently, I was in communication with "Sphynx" regarding paperwork, etc. I am copying and pasting conversations below:

Help <[email protected]>

MY NAME

Thanks for confirming your payment. We are proceeding with your paperwork accordingly.

Sphynx <[email protected]>

You

Thanks for confirming your payment. Kindly confirm your;

- Full names

- Primary email address

- Primary phone number

- House/shipping address

These information will help us prepare the necessary paperwork and get Leo ready for delivery. Note that the registration papers for our cats are mandatory, so we do not charge you for that.

Sphynx <[email protected]>

MY NAME

Thanks for confirming your information. We are proceeding with your paperwork accordingly.

Dear MY NAME,

Kindly find attached to this email your transfer of ownership document for Leo. Sign it and send a copy to us as soon as you can so we'll proceed with registration for delivery; the most available shipment to you is Tomorrow Sunday, March 05th 2023 @ 09:45am, so you'll receive Leo by 04:30pm (Max). You'll receive delivery information anytime soon. Stay tuned!

Thanks in anticipation!

_____

Sapphire R.

Sphynx <[email protected]>

MY NAME

Thanks for signing your transfer of ownership document. You will receive delivery information within the next 1-2hours. Stay tuned!

Sphynx <[email protected]>

You

I was wondering if you've receive delivery information already.

Sphynx <[email protected]>

You

I have reasons to believe you must have received delivery information. Kindly check your junk/spam folders. It's coming from [email protected].

****I MADE THE PAYMENT THRU "USHIP SERVICES", AS EXPLAINED PREVIOUSLY, BUT THEN GOT THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL FROM "SPHYNX":

Sphynx <[email protected]>

MY NAME

I have been informed that your refundable insurance payment didn't go through. You can send to my Venmo exactly the same way you paid for Leo so I can follow up for you from my end.

Use the following information to pay with Venmo;

Username: @sredman25

Name: Sapphire Redman

Amount: $450

Reason for payment: Refundable insurance

Last four confirmation digits: 2944

Kindly send me a screenshot of your payment confirmation so we can proceed with your paperwork.

I RESPONDED:

TO: Sphynx

At this time, I am trying to determine what happened with my initial payment of $450 that I made, as instructed, to @butterflycarmant. I sent a screenshot of the payment confirmation and I am now very concerned that I have been scammed. I am unable to make any additional payment at the moment, because I am out of money. That $450 was basically all that I had and was planning on it being refunded at the time of delivery, in order to turn around and pay the remaining $340 for Leo. I need further proof of legitimacy before I can proceed. I am also trying to work with Venmo regarding the payment of $450 already made. They are asking for information regarding who I was intending to pay, and I have provided them the Username: @butterflycarmant, however, they are also requesting a phone # and e-mail address. I would greatly appreciate assistance in getting this resolved.

Sincerely,

MY NAME

AFTER RECEIVING THE THREATENING E-MAIL FROM "USHIP", I AGAIN E-MAILED "SPHYNX":

MY NAME

Sphynx

I have just received the following threatening email from Uship and request your immediate assistance.

Dear MY NAME,

MY ADDRESS

If your refundable insurance fee is not provided ASAP, we shall place your kitten under PET ABUSE/CRUELTY AND ABANDONING, which is punishable by law according to the rules below;

Many jurisdiction around the world forbids cruelty to some animals (PETS) but these vary by country and in some cases by practice. In the United States, cruelty to animals is a criminal offense and one may be fined or jailed for it for up to five years. On February 15, 1911, the House of Commons introduced the Protection of Animals act on behalf of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (R.S.P.C.A.). The maximum punishment was 6 months of "hard labor" with a fine of 12000.00USD. Aggression against Cats, Dogs, and People. In Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence: Readings in Research and Applications.. Press Release, 159-167. Jail Term 25Years in Prison. The said refundable insurance fee for your kitten is therefore mandatory.

To Glorious Sphynx Kittens,

Until I am able to confirm validity of the shipping company and information given, I am not in a financial position to make any further payment. I have already paid $510 towards Leo and have shown intent to purchase him, as initially agreed, for the total cost of $850. I was not informed of the "refundable" pet insurance at the time of the agreement, yet I paid it when requested. I sincerely hope you will assist in this resolving this current issue, by covering/handling the insurance fee for the period required to deliver Leo to us. I feel like this is reasonable, given my good faith payment of $510, plus $450 that I paid to "someone" who has yet to be identified.

I am very concerned and sick to my stomach over the whole situation. I have purchased supplies for Leo and have been setting up this surprise for my deserving daughter. Please contact me as soon as possible. I would really appreciate a contact name and phone number for you as well.

MY NAME

THEY RESPONDED:

Sphynx <[email protected]>

TO MY NAME

OMG!!! What's this all about??? Let me reach-out to them and get back to you. Just stay calm.

I ADDITIONALLY E-MAILED: Also, I replied to the threatening email with a simple request for proof of company validation and received the following sarcastic response, causing further concern, since not typical of a professional company.

OF NOTE: TO THIS POINT, THE CORRESPONDENCE WAS MADE QUICKLY. HOWEVER, AT THIS TIME THEY SLOWED DOWN THEIR RESPONSES. I WAITED A COUPLE OF HOURS AND SENT ANOTHER INQUIRY:

MY NAME

TO: Sphynx

I’m anxiously awaiting more information.

Sphynx <[email protected]>

TO MY NAME:

I understand your point but you have nothing to worry about because the refundable insurance fee is completely refundable upon delivery today and i am willing to do my best to make sure everything goes well. I got in touch with the delivery agency and was made to understand the refundable insurance fee is mandatory before 09:00am this morning, else they will proceed with pet abandonment which even with an attorney, you will still pay the refundable insurance fee plus additional fine of $1000 and above depending on the situation. With that being said, I am willing to pay half ($225) while you pay the balance ($225) so Leo will get home to you as soon as possible. If this works for you, use the following information to pay so I can follow up from my end so as to avoid pet abandonment;

Username: @sredman25

Name: Sapphire Redman

Amount: $225

Reason for payment: Refundable insurance

Last four confirmation digits: 2944

Kindly send me a screenshot of your payment confirmation so we can proceed immediately.

TO WHICH I REPLIED:

FROM MY NAME:

TO: Sphynx

I have explained that I do not have any more money to put out and have already paid $910 for what I thought was going to be a precious kitten for my suffering daughter. I was a trusting customer and am devastated by what has transpired thus far. If you are truly a valid breeder and business, you will make this right by delivering Leo and handling the insurance issue on your end. If it’s 100% refundable, as you say, and you’ve already collected $510 from me, there should be no problem for you to do that. Plus, I was not informed about the insurance at the time of our original purchase agreement, and was not prepared for the additional cost, putting me in a dire financial situation. Please make this right.

THAT WAS NEARLY 3 HOURS AGO AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. I ASSUME THAT THEY FIGURE THEY'VE GOTTEN ALL THE MONEY THEY CAN FROM ME, AND ARE GOING TO MOVE ON THE THE NEXT POOR VICTIM. I AM COMPETELY SICK ABOUT THIS, AND SO ANGRY AT MYSELF FOR BEING TRUSTING AND GULLIBLE, AS I'M SURE ARE SO MANY OTHERS. I HOPE THESE CRIMINALS ARE STOPPED AND PUNISHED FOR THE SUFFERING THAT THEY ARE CAUSING INNOCENT PEOPLE.</[email protected]></[email protected]...

- Carrollton, VA, USA

Offered Jack Russell puppies for sale. The price for the puppies including shipping was very low. Good indicator this was a scam. Wanted you to provide your address and also sign a contract that I never opened so I don't know exactly what info they were requesting.

According to the website Whois.com the registrar is Who Is Privacy Corp out of Nassau, Bahamas.

BBB notes: If you feel you are a victim of an online pet  or pet  transportation scam, ScamPulse.com encourages you to file a complaint and/or customer review at www.bbb.org/Norfolk, with the Virginia Attorney General's office at https://www.oag.state.va.us/consumer-protection/index.php/file-a-complaint, as well as report your experience to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov and the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.

- Snellville, GA, USA

Elaborate scam... Scammers have at least two fake websites. https://goodhomesforallkittensusa.com and star freights=https://starfreight.com/ We purchased a kitten posted on the rescue website after completing an online adoption request. We were contacted by "Mike Jeffery", and then given tracking info for our kitten delivery. We paid 150.00 for adoption and 200.00 for delivery. At this point we were given a tracking number and link to star freights. We were then approached for a 300.00 refundable emergency travel amount by the delivery person "George". We would not pay the 300 but when told our kitten would not be delivered we sent a 100.00 visa gift card. The money we sent we requested at first to be delivered to the following Zelle accounts: Manieshawilson83.gmail.com (which was flagged by my bank a linked to a scam, but then as it was a volunteer for the organization we were told it did not reflect the rescue). The second Zelle we were prompted to pay to was [email protected]. We ultimately sent the 350.00 over Venmo to @maniesha-wilson.

- Roanoke, VA, USA

found Rottweiler puppy online.   www.vonsrottweiler.com

- Lemont, IL, USA

Agreed to purchase an older African grey bird from her. She alleges to be a breeder for $500. She wanted $100 to get registration in my name and then 3 days later $200 for getting ready for shipper pickup. Both were via Walmart gift cards her choice. Shipper contacted me and said I had to pay upfront $200 to deliver bird. Can’t find this shipper on line so cancelled transaction on 2/23 within the 3 day contractual rules although never signed anything. Shipper’s email is [email protected]. Asked to provide location of facility and website. Would not. Said I can trust them. They won’t deliver unless I pay and I won’t pay because I believe I am being scammed. If in fact there is a bird the humane society should be notified

- Arlington, CO, USA

I placed an order for a Siamese kitten thru furbulous Siamese cats and kittens paid 600 thru Zelle they said it was being shipped out with rokawaypettransportation then they sent me transfer of ownership to sign and told me that the Siamese kitten was in the wrong carrier so I needed to send 850 via Zelle that would be refunded on delivery now they want then they said they delivered it to Dallas airport and it couldn’t leave there without insurance so I would have to pay 1500 for insurance via Zelle now they are they’re saying it is animal abandoned so I said to FaceTime me of proof of custody of the kitten and that’s where I stand

- Ladys Island, SC, USA

I purchased 2 parrotts and shipping. Which I paid for. Once paid I wad adked for an add6 $1500 for additional services and then another $1495 to rent a special crate. They have my parrotts and money and I have nothing, because I did not have the additional $1495. Was told they would not return money in the the parrotts. That they would turn them over to the ASPCA.

- Trenton, FL, USA

I searched on line for pitbull breeders and found one i would’ve loved to buy. Talked with the breeder got pictures and all. He sent me his cashapp to pay for the puppy and i sent the money. After payment was received and puppy was supposed to be shipped, i was told to pay more fees that didn’t seem right. Puppy never got delivered and no response from breeder anymore.

- Henniker, NH, USA

I counted this breeder about a basset hound puppy that was 10 weeks old after a few days and me sending the money the puppy never came I have all the emails a signed contract from the sell and all the transactions that where made to them

- Honeoye Falls, NY, USA

I researched kittens online. I located a breeder in California that had the cat breed i wanted. Talked for a couple weeks with the contact person (email only). then agreed to purchase the cat. Paid for cat and shipping and signed contract. Then a 'carrier' service reached out telling me i needed to purchase a carrier crate which was refundable - then the cat didnt arrive, then they reached out and said cat was in health quarantine in Pennsylvania and i needed to pay extra to get it vaccinated at which point i knew it was total BS

- Harris, NY, USA

When I first spoke with the scammer they originally told me that the dog is $850 but since you’re out of our area you would have to send additional $400 for shipping. Then the next day they said to send $75 for documentation and $900 for insurance so the dog can travel on a crate. Then the same day I was originally supposed to get the dog they said they can’t give me the dog until I paid $5655 due to covid since the dog was coming from out of the state. Meanwhile the tracking was saying that the dog was in my state/ county

- Downers Grove, IL, USA

I am looking to purchase a Devon Rex kitten. These kittens usually start at 1200 each before shipping. I found Finex Devon Rex in a google search. Their kittens were gorgeous and only 1000 (including shipping,a bag of food, shots, a crate and microchipped). Too good to be true. Another red flag was that the site didn’t have an address of the cattery or names of the people who owned it. The available kittens were all 12 weeks old (ready to go to a home) and clearly didn’t have the same parents. Still I spoke with with them about a kitten. They claimed to be holding her for me for a few days. When I looked at their site, she was listed as available still. Finally I had the common sense to google them. These people have operated under the name Mackenzie Devon Rex Cattery and have since changed their name to Finex. They are using different numbers from a text app bc they used Chicago area numbers to text me (not the brightest criminals in the world).

Used Facebook to sell kittens. Messaged me on messenger and was very concerned about where kitten was going and what type of home. Said she shipped the kitten to me but then i got an email from a weird company saying I needed to pay $700 in shipping insurance which would be refundable upon delivery. When i paid that they started saying that the seller put the cat in the wrong crate and i needed to buy a crate from them which would cost $7,000. I have been arguing back and forth with both the seller and shipping company and they just keep telling me to hurry and pay it because the kitten is scared

Pet scam. Kittens. Things got fishy after payment and they will not return my emails regarding arrival of my purchase

Received request to purchase puppy, free shipping but that changed on delivery date. Couldn't locate any fraud/scam but realized this is not good. Hopefully I can get something back, maybe puppy cost. Very sophisticated website and airport info. Currently they are still asking for a nanny fee. I have text messages and phone calls and photos

I lost my pet. They reached saying the have her. The wanted to send me a code that I would share with them in order to confirm I lost my pet. I did a quick search and found information on the scam. I then came here to report it.

They were selling us a dog for$1100

Then added extra for transportation from the airport in El Paso to us in *********** **. We sent them the money & they sent us a certificate for the puppy. Then we got a call from the transport “Pet Movers” and wanted a deposit for the dogs crate. We lost the $1289 for the puppy. The website says they have 27 years experience with these dogs.

Melina Adams sent me an instagram DM telling me that my dog would be a great fit for their VIP ambassador program and that they would love to collaborate with me. She said if I was interested to reach out to @scarfandtail. I did so, and immediately received an auto message with details on their collaboration terms. (I will be glad to share the terms along with all of our conversations, if needed.) They sent me a link to their instagram website and told me to put 4 to 7 items in my cart and let them know when I was ready to move forward by pressing the automatic response “I’m ready”. They then provided a discount code that allowed the products to be free and I would only be responsible for shipping. At this point, I became a little leery, but was curious to see what the shipping cost would be. However, I was unable to see it unless I entered in my credit card info first. I knew this must be a scam so I googled the company’s name and read several blogs where the same company scammed others in the exact way. All of them had been charged obscene amounts of money for the shipping and never received the product and many of them had reoccurring charges until they reached out to their bank and changed their social media password and information. Furthermore, while I was investigating the company, a second female, Aniyah Young sent me an Instagram DM, basically telling the same story and leading me to @scarfandtail yet again. This time, I dug a little deeper and learned by looking through her post that she never showed her face in any photos and each post had only 6-12 likes. I investigated 6 of the people who had liked her post, all of which were set up the exact same way but selling different products. 2 of the accounts were people who sold and swapped books, several who sold designer sunglasses & the others followed the same set up. I also learned that Scarf and Tail had a Facebook and TikTok account. All this info told me that these scammers were much larger than just selling dog attire. This is maddening and I am considering exposing them on instagram so that it might help prevent someone falling for their well organized scam!

I have not yet blocked the company or either females who intentionally reached out to me, so I’m able to keep communication open if needed. I am dedicated in shutting this large scamming network down, so please don’t hesitate contacting me, if you need help in your investigation.

I signed a contract with Precious Kittens on 24 January 2023 for delivery of a young kitten on Friday 3 February 2023. Despite a series of e-mails to the supposed "Seller" no kitten was delivered and none of the e-mails have been replied. Last time I checked, the convincing website was still up and the same kitten "Luna) was still being advertised. I had previously sent $750 by Zelle, which I cannot get back.

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