16/05/2026
Puppy Scammers Info:
Since COVID, puppy scammers have got out of hand. Please be careful when buying a pup before handing over large sums of money. In the last few days, 2 people told me they were scammed. One was fortunate to recover their $1,000 deposit by acting quickly. Scammers are so good now that even these cautious buyers were stung.
Most breeders ask for $500-$1,000 deposit. Due to scammers, for peace of mind for buyers, I dropped the $500 to a $20 holding fee and $80-$100 deposit, depending on whether they paid the holding fee for the waiting list. Deposits are only paid during the selection process, and buyers have seen pups either by visiting us or via FaceTime.
Tips before handing over large sums of money:
-Always speak to the breeder, not text only
-If you can't see the pup in person, ask for FaceTime. If you don't do FaceTime, ask them to video the pups and ask them to do something on video, i.e., thumbs up
-Check with Dogs SA or Dogzonline, their phone number matches the phone number you are calling
-Pay cash where you can
-Take extra precautions with Gumtree, as a lot of scammers frequent it. Gumtree has tightened it up somewhat with pup microchip verification but some scammers are getting past that
-Visit Dogzonline, which is safer to find a breeder, but you should still be cautious of breeders as they may have a puppy farm
-Breeders carry a breeding ID card which you can sight. However, I am cautious about freely handing this out, as scammers might take a copy
-Scammers will act more urgently. Some breeders will do the same. Stay clear
-Don't rely on FB photos. Scammers steal photos
-Texting you a photo of parents and pups is not verification that they are their pups
-If you live too far from the buyer and have a friend or family in area, ask if they can do a quick check on the breeder's property by appointment
-Always get the breeder's address. Google map property
(If anyone has any more suggestions to add to the list, I would love to hear from you)
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