Scams To Watch For When Looking To Buy A Pet; Tips From The Better Business Bureau

if you're looking for a pet for your family you do want to be aware of scams. Amie Mitchell with the Better Business Bureau joined News On to talk about some of the things to look out for.

How Pet Scams Are Made

Reagan: This is one area I really didn't think about when it comes to scams, but it's it's an area where people get scammed a lot.

Mitchell: Unfortunately, people get scammed out of a lot of money. Pets are one thing that pulls your heartstrings, those little babies, need a home. So a lot of times when we see the scams coming in, our scammers will go online, they'll put all these beautiful pictures [up]. Maybe you go ahead and buy the pet and then here in a couple of weeks, you'll get like, "Oh, the baby's sick. We need, we need to take it to the vet," and then you end up wiring more money. The problem is the baby, the puppy, never existed in the first place. So we really encourage consumers to do research on the front end, with finding a legitimate breeder, a legitimate person that you can buy a puppy from.

Reagan: But also, you know, fostering, going to a shelter.

Mitchell: Absolutely, there are so many beautiful, wonderful pets available in so many shelters here in town, you can even find specific breeds, or there are some rescues, just for specific breeds.

Verifying The Seller Is Real

Reagan: People will pay big money for specific dogs, like, for example, a bird-hunting dog. They want a special dog, and maybe they'll fly to that state. What advice do have for those people that you know think this is legit and they get sold, and it's not

Mitchell: So, my biggest recommendation is that you want to do a FaceTime or go pick up the dog in person before any cash is exchanged. You really want to see the dog interacting with the person that is selling it that way. You know the dog is real. We see a lot of general images from online. They get posted to the scam websites, and they're super cute puppies, but make sure you're doing a reverse image search so you're not that's a good way to indicate if you're dealing with a scammer. Look at the pictures on their website to make sure it's not just a regular picture that's been reproduced over and over again. Some people

Reagan: Some people want a specific dog, and they will do whatever they can to get that specific dog. Any other advice on, maybe pricing? You know how to compare. If this is a legit deal?

Research Prices For Dog Breeds

Mitchell: Definitely do your research online for the specific breed. If it's too high or too low, you're probably dealing you may be dealing with this game. Try to stay somewhere in the middle of the price range. So shop around. Look at legitimate breeders. See call around and say, Hey, what are you selling your puppy for? That way You [will] kind of know if you're dealing with something in the range of legitimate

Don't Agree To Strange Ways To Pay

Reagan: Any tips on paying?

Mitchell: Yes, please use a credit card. Do not use cash. Definitely do not use gift cards or anything like that. That's a big red flag that you're dealing with a scammer.

Reagan: Now, when someone gets faced with the situation, they're like, Okay, what do I do? What do you encourage people to do in the situation?

Mitchell: If you find a scam website, definitely report it to our scam tracker, bbb.org/scam, Tracker, that way we can try to help shut down these scammers. Now, they pop up all the time, so you have to be really careful. Make sure you're checking out the company with BBB, that way you can see their reviews and their complaints.

Better Business Bureau Website