Avoid Puppy Scams
The puppy photos are adorable, the price is a steal, and the breeder just needs a deposit to hold your new best friend — who does not exist. Puppy scams run the same playbook as rental scams: irresistible listing, urgent story, payment before meeting. The emotional hook makes people skip every verification step. This guide applies the brakes. For the housing version, learn to avoid rental scams.
TL;DR / Quick Fix
Quick fix: never send a deposit for a puppy you have not met — visit in person or insist on a live video call with the puppy. Reverse-image-search the photos; stolen pictures are the classic tell. Below-market price plus shipping-only plus urgency equals scam, every time.
Follow these steps
- Never pay before meeting. The rule that stops every version: no deposit until you have seen the puppy — in person, or on a live video call you control. Scammers always have a reason you cannot visit.
- Reverse-image-search the photos. Stolen photos from real breeders and stock sites are the standard. The same puppy 'available' in five states is not a coincidence.
- Insist on live video. Ask for a live video call with the puppy — not a prerecorded clip. Scammers refuse, stall, or send someone else's video; real breeders happily show you the litter.
- Question the price. A purebred at a third of the going rate is bait, not luck. Scammers price to short-circuit judgment with desire.
- Verify the breeder. Real breeders have verifiable identities: registered kennel names, vet references, reviews spanning years. A website built last month and a messaging-app-only contact is not that.
- Pay traceably, in person. Legitimate breeders take normal payments with contracts and health records. Wire transfers, gift cards, and crypto for a puppy are scam-only methods.
What NOT to do
- Do not let the cute photos override verification. The adorableness is the weapon — scammers choose the cutest stolen photos deliberately.
- Do not accept shipping-only deals. 'We will ship the puppy' from a breeder you have never verified is the core of the scam.
- Do not send extra money for 'special crates' or 'insurance.' The escalating-fee trick squeezes victims who already paid the deposit.
- Do not ignore the urgency. 'Someone else wants this puppy' manufactures panic — real breeders do not sell to whoever panics fastest.
Frequently asked questions
The breeder sent vet records — is it safe?
Paperwork is easy to fake. Verify the vet clinic independently by calling them directly — never the number on the documents.
What about adoption sites?
Stick to known shelters and rescues with physical locations you can visit. Even there, verify before sending money anywhere.
I already sent a deposit — now what?
Stop all payments immediately and report to police and the FTC. Recovery of wires is unlikely, but reporting helps shut the operation down.