Dog Buying Scam?
Discussion
We have been looking to buy a German Shepherd pup over the last couple of weeks & after loosing out on a couple we finally found a pup that we thought we probably going to be ours this week.
Email contact with the seller has been going on for a couple of days with the seller asking what appeared to be all the right questions & with him providing all the details regarding the dog & it's parents, Kennel Club Registration, vaccinations etc etc.
All seemed to be going well - we had agreed a price & we were at the stage where we were going to go & see the seller &, hopefully, return home with the puppy.
The seller, according to the advert, appeared to located in the South West (I will not name him or the exact location just in case he turns out to be honest) which was ok for us.
However early this morning we received an email from the seller which has all the makings of a scam.
The email said that the cost of the pup had risen by £50.00 because the seller had relocated to the Isle of Man due to work commitments so the increased price was to cover the cost of shipping the dog back to an airport of our choice on the mainland & for subsequent delivery to our home address by a shipper.......
The email also said that when we confirmed whether we wanted a male or female dog the puppy would be shipped to us once payment had been made.
Now..... We had chosen a particular puppy & it would appear from the email that we would now be sent a pup of the sellers choice without us seeing the pup that was going to be shipped.
So I am thinking that we send the payment & either the dog never appears or we get sent the runt of the litter.
It all seems odd so, annoyingly, we are stepping away simply because it is crying out scam.
Anyone else come across this sort of thing before?
Points that also concern me are this - what are the quarantine requirements, if any, for dogs that leave the mainland, albeit to the Isle of Man, & which are then sent back to the mail-land?
Would flying a 12 week old pup to the mainland harm the pup?
Do airlines cater for this kind of thing?
Would a specialised courier be required from the airport to my home?
I wouldn't buy a dog of any sort without actually seeing the dog in its own surroundings so I am convinced that this is a scam.
I hope that I am wrong however my gut feeling is to run away. Quickly!!!!!
Email contact with the seller has been going on for a couple of days with the seller asking what appeared to be all the right questions & with him providing all the details regarding the dog & it's parents, Kennel Club Registration, vaccinations etc etc.
All seemed to be going well - we had agreed a price & we were at the stage where we were going to go & see the seller &, hopefully, return home with the puppy.
The seller, according to the advert, appeared to located in the South West (I will not name him or the exact location just in case he turns out to be honest) which was ok for us.
However early this morning we received an email from the seller which has all the makings of a scam.
The email said that the cost of the pup had risen by £50.00 because the seller had relocated to the Isle of Man due to work commitments so the increased price was to cover the cost of shipping the dog back to an airport of our choice on the mainland & for subsequent delivery to our home address by a shipper.......
The email also said that when we confirmed whether we wanted a male or female dog the puppy would be shipped to us once payment had been made.
Now..... We had chosen a particular puppy & it would appear from the email that we would now be sent a pup of the sellers choice without us seeing the pup that was going to be shipped.
So I am thinking that we send the payment & either the dog never appears or we get sent the runt of the litter.
It all seems odd so, annoyingly, we are stepping away simply because it is crying out scam.
Anyone else come across this sort of thing before?
Points that also concern me are this - what are the quarantine requirements, if any, for dogs that leave the mainland, albeit to the Isle of Man, & which are then sent back to the mail-land?
Would flying a 12 week old pup to the mainland harm the pup?
Do airlines cater for this kind of thing?
Would a specialised courier be required from the airport to my home?
I wouldn't buy a dog of any sort without actually seeing the dog in its own surroundings so I am convinced that this is a scam.
I hope that I am wrong however my gut feeling is to run away. Quickly!!!!!
mikees said:
You have to ask? Was the breeder a Nigerian prince? No decent breeder will "ship" a dog ffs.
String them along and have fun.
I am certain it is a scam however I would be interested to know whether it is feasible/safe/sensible etc to transport a pup across the Irish Sea twice in a couple of weeks.String them along and have fun.
I haven't had a dog for more years than I care to remember so I am just being careful.
Next question - anyone on here know any reputable breeders who might have 10/11 week old GSD pups for sale?
Edited by fatboy69 on Saturday 12th September 22:12
At best the person you dealt with is an agent for a puppy farm, either on the Isle of Man or in the Republic of Ireland. At worst it is just a pure scam. Either way do not get involved because even if you get a dog it will be a very poor animal indeed.
Never buy any puppy unless you have seen it at least twice with it's mother and litter mates and also preferably with the stud dog too.
No respectable breeder is likely to ship a puppy.
Never buy any puppy unless you have seen it at least twice with it's mother and litter mates and also preferably with the stud dog too.
No respectable breeder is likely to ship a puppy.
stevensdrs said:
At best the person you dealt with is an agent for a puppy farm, either on the Isle of Man or in the Republic of Ireland. At worst it is just a pure scam. Either way do not get involved because even if you get a dog it will be a very poor animal indeed.
Never buy any puppy unless you have seen it at least twice with it's mother and litter mates and also preferably with the stud dog too.
No respectable breeder is likely to ship a puppy.
^^ This. Though I've never got any of my dogs from a breeder, I would expect any decent breeder to want to meet prospective owners.Never buy any puppy unless you have seen it at least twice with it's mother and litter mates and also preferably with the stud dog too.
No respectable breeder is likely to ship a puppy.
Thanks guys.
Original advert & contact with the seller appeared legit.
Alarm bells rang as soon as we read the line 'we have moved to the Isle of Man' etc etc etc.
And so the search resumes - a call to the Kennel Club will be made on Monday as will a call to the people who carried the original advert.
Original advert & contact with the seller appeared legit.
Alarm bells rang as soon as we read the line 'we have moved to the Isle of Man' etc etc etc.
And so the search resumes - a call to the Kennel Club will be made on Monday as will a call to the people who carried the original advert.
fatboy69 said:
Thanks guys.
Original advert & contact with the seller appeared legit.
Alarm bells rang as soon as we read the line 'we have moved to the Isle of Man' etc etc etc.
And so the search resumes - a call to the Kennel Club will be made on Monday as will a call to the people who carried the original advert.
Would you like me to see if my acquaintance can help.(he's an ex police dog handler)Original advert & contact with the seller appeared legit.
Alarm bells rang as soon as we read the line 'we have moved to the Isle of Man' etc etc etc.
And so the search resumes - a call to the Kennel Club will be made on Monday as will a call to the people who carried the original advert.
ShampooEfficient said:
I quite fancy mackerel. Would it be packed in water filled Jiffy bag? I suppose it would help it get through the letterbox. OP can I also suggest you get a GSD for form and not show....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRU8UdMnssU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRU8UdMnssU
bexVN said:
I saw this and thought of you. Ex police dog handler aswell with excellent reputation. Could only get a screenshot but could find out more if you wanted.
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 13th September 08:31
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 13th September 08:32
Thank you.
Sorry to say she has gone to a new home. You could contact him though to see if he has otgers, I do not have a direct line to this chap, I'd have gone through a joint acquaintance. He maybe worth looking into, just look up his name (it is in the picture I posted I think)
Rafpol German Shepherds Tony Cronin.
Rafpol German Shepherds Tony Cronin.
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 13th September 22:02
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 13th September 22:04
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