Scam Prevention
How do I know if a breeder is a scammer?
Pet scams follow a script. Once you can see the script, most attempts fall apart in the first two messages.
By Marcus Vance · Updated 2026-08-30 · 9 min read
The twelve repeating red flags
Any single item can have an innocent explanation. Three together is a scam until proven otherwise.
- Payment only by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a peer-to-peer app with no buyer protection
- Refusal to do a live video call showing the animal and the person together
- Photos that reverse-image-search to another site or a stock library
- A price well below the market for the breed
- Unexpected extra fees after the deposit — crate insurance, climate-controlled shipping, permits
- Pressure to decide today because 'another family is waiting'
- No verifiable physical address or business name
- Copied website text that appears verbatim on other breeder sites
- Willingness to ship an animal far too young
- No questions asked about you or your household
- A brand-new social profile with sudden high activity
- Contracts with no legal identity or signature on the breeder side
Five-minute checks that work
Reverse-image-search two photos. Search the exact phone number and any email address in quotes. Ask for a live video call at a time you choose, and ask them to hold up a piece of paper with today's date next to the animal. A real breeder finds that mildly amusing; a scammer disappears.
If you have already paid
Contact your bank or card issuer immediately and request a chargeback, keep every message, and file a report with your national consumer protection or fraud agency. Report the listing to the platform so the account can be removed before someone else pays.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a deposit request itself a red flag?
- No. Deposits are standard practice. The red flag is the payment method and the absence of a contract, receipt and verifiable identity behind it.