How to Spot a Puppy Scam

Puppy buying is at an all-time high right now and with that comes an alarming number of puppy scams. The technology we have today makes it very easy to do all of our research and puppy buying online. Purchasing a puppy without ever seeing it in person can be scary, but there are some red flags that you can watch for to make sure you are getting a puppy from a great breeder. It is very easy to find a good breeder when you know which questions to ask.

Below I have listed some of the red flags to watch for as well as some things to look for in a good breeder.

Red Flags to Watch For

No phone number or email address

An honest and reputable breeder should allow phones calls to communicate before selling a puppy to you. Often times the scammers will be outside of the country and communicate by email only.

Photos are stolen from another site

Too often puppy scammers will take photos from other breeders websites and claim them as their own. There are dozens of websites out there like bellapuppies (dot) com (don’t want to add the link and give them link credit) that blatantly steal our images and text off our site to try to scam others into paying them $600 without intending to ever give them a puppy. We have a legal service to help combat sites like these and others but there are many other breeders unaware this is happening to them.

There is a nifty little trick on google images that allows you to reverse search an image to see if it’s been stolen off other websites. If you are skeptical of the puppy you are considering, simply download the image to your computer and do a reverse image search on google using the steps below.

• On your computer, open a web browser, like Chrome or Safari.

• Go to Google Images.

• Click Search by image .

• Click Upload an image Choose file or Browse.

• Select a picture from your computer.

• Click Open or Choose.

If you see this same picture used on many other search results, chances are you’re being scammed. A nice final touch would be to reach out to the other sites and let them know their content is being stolen.

Fishy Payment options

If the seller is asking you to wire them money or pay by gift cards, you will most likely never get your money back. Be sure they offer flexible payment methods such as PayPal or Credit Card so you have the option of to get your money back or flag a chard as fraud.

Price is too good to be true

Be sure to research the price of the breed you are planning to purchase. We have a great guide on maltipoo prices, other reputable sites will have guides specific to their breed. If the price is heavily discounted it is typically fraud. Maltipoo websites listing puppies for less than $1,000 (usually around $500 or $600) is typically fraud. I’m not saying you won’t find maltipoos at a price like this, but it is very rare and more commonly it is a scam.

Things to Look for in a Great Breeder

Positive reviews and referrals

Good breeders aren’t afraid to share referrals and even contact information of previous puppy buyers. Anyone can fake referrals on their site so it’s better to check their facebook page or google listing to see what customers are saying on there. For example here is our facebook page and google listing. You can see many reviews and comments on here that will help you learn other peoples experiences with our puppies.

Almost all scammers will either not have social accounts or they will have a facebook page or similar with only 10 or so followers and no comments or very few posts.

Willing to engage in a phone call or video chat

Great breeders will talk to you on the phone or get on a video call with you before selling you a puppy. Meeting in person is always a good idea as well.

Answers all your questions

Ask as many questions about the breed, the parents, temperament etc. Responsible breeders love to educate you about the breed before selling a puppy to you and they aren’t in a rush to make sure you pay them the money. They genuinely care for the health and wellbeing of their puppies and want to make sure they go to a good home.

If the seller seems pushy and anxious to get a deposit or to complete the sell, it could be a scam and there is likely no puppy.

Offers a health guarantee

Responsible breeders always have a health guarantee. This means that they have made sure the parents are in good health and therefore the puppies will be as well. Great breeders will back their puppies up with more than 1-year health guarantee if they’re confident in their breeding standards. At My Doodle Maltpoos, we offer a 10-year health guarantee although most commonly, you’ll find other breeders guarantees to be either 1 or 2 years.

Last word of advice, go with your gut!

We live in the world of information where we can look up anything in a split second but this also means we can come across a lot of misinformation. Although the web can be very powerful and beneficial in a lot of ways, after all the research you do, it’s important to trust your gut and make a decision you’re comfortable with. Even if someone is willing to talk to you on the phone, and their site has great information make sure you listen to that gut feeling and make the choice you’re comfortable with and confident in. The above tips are just guidelines but in the end, you just have to know the breeder you’re going with feels good to you and there is no worry.