Although rare, scams occur in every category. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Puppy scams

How to avoid them:
Staying safe is simple - see it before you buy it. Beware of pets that are otherwise expensive or rare being offered for adoption or for very cheap.

More details:

• as dogs tend to be expensive where they can trick you with a really good price.
• The seller will claim they had to move or give another excuse for why you can't see the animal in person (examples: moved to Africa for missionary or development work, sold the pet but know someone else who might be selling one somewhere else, sold the pet to someone who moved overseas and now they want to sell it back, etc.).
• They will ask for shipping money even if the animal was initially listed as free. The animal will never arrive.

Fraudulent buyers

How to avoid them: 
We do all we can to stop scammers from contacting you, but if you get a message from a buyer offering to pay more than you are asking or asking you to ship to a foreign country, don't reply to them. Never cash a check from someone you haven't met in person, it might be fake. If you forward the suspicious message you received to fraud@puppyfinder.com, our preventive technology will analyze the message and possibly stop the user from contacting other people. 

More details:

• They will ask if you would be willing to ship your puppy, often to overseas. (Examples: it's a gift for someone who is studying or working in Africa, it's for their client, etc.)
• At best, you will ship your item and not receive any money.
• They might send you a check for more money than you asked for and ask you to send some amount back under a complicated excuse. (Examples: send money to their "shipping agent", the check was from their "client" and they ask you to send them their cut, they made a mistake, etc.).
• The check is fake and your bank will bounce it in a few weeks.

Fraudsters posing as puppyfinder or other known sites

How to avoid them: 
Puppyfinder.com does not handle any aspect of the financial transaction, does not provide "Bills of Sale", or any escrow services. If you are not sure if an email is from us, contact us here.