Pet & Animal Scams

Fraudulent sellers take a non-refundable deposit for a puppy that does not exist, then disappear or invent reasons to demand more money before the animal is never delivered.

Scammers pose as professional breeders with polished websites and fake credentials, collecting full or partial payment for pets that do not exist.

Scammers advertise pets at low or no cost then demand escalating fees for crates, veterinary certificates, insurance, and customs clearance, collecting payment at each stage before disappearing.

Scammers contact owners of genuinely missing pets, claim to have found the animal, and demand a reward or 'recovery fee' before a pet that was never in their possession is handed over.

Fraudsters impersonate animal rescue organisations or private rehomers, collecting adoption fees and transport costs for pets that do not exist or are never delivered.

Sellers advertise rare or exotic animals — parrots, reptiles, big cats, primates — that do not exist, collecting deposits and escalating fees before disappearing.

Fraudsters advertise pedigree stud dogs or cats with fabricated credentials, collecting stud fees or deposits for services never rendered.

Fraudulent insurers collect premiums for pet health policies that provide no coverage, leaving owners with worthless documentation and large veterinary bills.

Individuals create false crowdfunding campaigns claiming a pet needs urgent, expensive veterinary treatment, collecting donations that are used for personal gain rather than any animal's care.

Websites sell worthless ESA registration certificates, ID cards, and vests that have no legal standing, misleading buyers into believing their pet has official status.

Fraudulent websites charge fees to 'register' a pet's microchip on unofficial databases that are not checked by vets or shelters, providing false security to pet owners.

Fraudulent online stores advertise heavily discounted premium pet food, treats, or supplements, take payment, and either ship nothing, ship counterfeit or expired product, or disappear entirely.

Fraudulent companies claim to offer genetic cloning of a deceased or dying pet, collecting substantial fees for sample preservation and 'laboratory stages' that never produce a cloned animal.

Fraudulent 'professional pet recovery' operators charge upfront fees for specialist tracking services, provide vague updates on fabricated leads, and conduct little or no genuine search effort.

Fraudulent operators sell official-looking service dog certificates, ID cards, and vests with little or no genuine training, exploiting the lack of a universal legal certification requirement.

Fraudulent sellers advertise horses or other livestock at attractive prices, collect a deposit to 'hold' the animal ahead of viewing or vetting, then delay indefinitely or vanish before any sale completes.

Fraudulent 'adopters' respond to free or low-cost pet rehoming ads, using invented transport arrangements or courier fees to take possession of a pet under false pretences, sometimes for resale or worse.

Fraudulent or unreliable pet sitters and boarding providers collect full prepayment, often steered outside a platform's protected payment system, then fail to appear or provide the promised care.

Sellers provide counterfeit pedigree or breed-registration documents to make a mixed-breed or unregistered animal appear to be a verifiable purebred, inflating the price and misleading the buyer.

Fraudsters impersonate customs brokers, wildlife authorities, or CITES processing agents to charge buyers fake import permit, quarantine, or clearance fees for an exotic animal supposedly held at the border.

Unregistered pages and organisations solicit ongoing donations for animal shelters or disaster relief using distressing imagery, but provide no verifiable accounting or evidence funds reach any real animals.

Unaccredited or fraudulent companies sell pet DNA breed and health test kits that are never genuinely processed, delivering no results, generic fabricated reports, or demanding extra fees before disappearing.