Nigerian Puppy Scam

If you are a dog breeder that sells puppies, or an individual considering purchasing a puppy on the Internet, Read This First!

There seems to be an increase lately in Nigerian puppy scams on the Internet. The last thing you may be considering is fraud when you go to an Internet classified website such as Craig's List, looking to adopt a puppy. But it is going on right now, and you need to be careful not to fall for this scam. In the nigerian puppy scam, they will place an ad with a picture of a cute little puppy offered up for adoption. To make the ad even more attractive, it may be a breed that is normally very expensive at a fraction of the cost, or even free. You will be required to pay shipping and possibly adoption fees, and instructed that puppy will be air shipped to you. You go to the airport to pick up your puppy, but no puppy arrives because it was all a scam.

To protect yourself, you can refuse to buy a puppy over the Internet. Check local rescues, animal shelters, newspaper ads, and reputable breeders in your area. If more people did this, it would put a lot of puppy mills out of business as well.

Dog breeders are also victims of the Nigerian puppy scam. Only it's worse because in this scam, not only is the dog breeder ripped off, but the puppies life may be placed in peril. The scammer contacts a dog breeder to purchase a puppy, and typically offers to pay with a cashier's check. At the last minute the scammer will make up some story why the cashier's check will be much more than the asking price, and request that the difference be wired back to them. The Nigerian scammers are so good at forging a counterfeit cashier's check that even the bank may not realize it is counterfeit for 1-2 weeks. Before the bank has contacted the dog breeder to collect funds for the bad check, the dog breeder has wired the scammer money and flown the puppy to some location where no one will be picking him up.

Many reputable dog breeders have a website to show off their dogs, but refrain from Internet sales. When adopting a puppy out they want more than a payment from a faceless person, they want to ensure the puppy will go to a loving lifetime home. However, if you are offering a puppy for sale on the Internet and run into scenario as described above, refuse to wire the scammer the difference. Tell them you will not cash the check, and request the correct payment. If they are a scammer, you'll probably never hear from them again. For any payment, make absolutely sure it clears before sending puppy. To protect your puppies, make sure to screen the homes they are going to, and do your utmost to ensure they will live a long happy life.