Would you like to learn how to avoid puppy scams?
Well, I am here to help. Did you know that I am a Scam Free certified Shih Tzu breeder? You may be asking yourself exactly what does this mean. Let’s start by going over what a puppy scam is in the first place. A puppy scam is when someone pretends to be either a puppy buyer or a puppy breeder to retrieve money or information unethically. I will give a few examples to make things more clear.
One example of a puppy scam is when a puppy buyer tries to purchase a Shih Tzu puppy off of the internet. A puppy buyer may find a spectacular website offering Shih Tzu puppies for sale at an unbeatable price. I am here to tell you that most responsible Shih Tzu breeders invest a great deal of time, money, and commitment into proper puppy raising. These types of Shih Tzu breeders cannot afford to produce cheap Shih Tzu puppies.
The problem is that puppy scammers often do a great job of looking legitimate. The Shih Tzu puppies look amazing in the website photos and everything seems too good to be true. This is because it is too good to be true! There is a reason why transactions are handled through email or text with these types of scammers. They only want your money and never intend to deliver a puppy in the first place.
A reputable Shih Tzu breeder will want to get to know puppy buyers personally. Most breeders set up phone calls, video calls, or in-person visits. A puppy scammer will most likely ask you to wire funds or pay through an app. Most of the time you never even get a chance to have a conversation with this this type of puppy scammer. This is a huge red flag!
Another example of a puppy scam is when a potential puppy buyer calls, texts, or sends an email and asks the breeder if he or she has any Shih Tzu puppies available. The potential buyer may ask for specific details about the puppy. The buyer may even ask the breeder to send photos or videos of the puppy.
In this type of scam, the puppy scammer who has posed as a puppy buyer then takes the photos and information and uses it to create fake puppy listings. Often the scammer will use the photos and videos the breeder has shared with them. The scam listing may show up on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Essentially the scammer is impersonating the real breeder.
I recently have become a victim of a similar type of scam. Nobody has stolen my photos but someone is posting website URLs and using my business name in their description on the internet to deceive clients and improve their Google click rate. This scammer isn’t only targeting me but is targeting a multitude of breeders. I have contacted Google and many other agencies to try and remove these scammers. Hopefully, they will be removed soon. If you ever find any fake listings or notice someone impersonating someone else it is essential that you report the fake account right away.
There are ways to protect yourself from cyber scams. My first word of advice is to get to know your Shih Tzu breeder! Set up a phone call, video conference call, and maybe even a face-to-face visit. Also, ask to see the puppies during your video chat or face-to-face visit. As a Shih Tzu breeder, I don’t even consider accepting a deposit until both the potential puppy owner and myself have gotten to know each other well. I want to know the individuals that are taking home my puppies on a personal level! After all, they’re taking home a piece of my heart and legacy.
Another thing that I have done to set myself apart from potential puppy scammers is to apply for a Scam Free certified badge through Tell Tail. Tell Tail- (https://www.telltail.com/scamfree) is a legitimate trusted breeder community that provides breeders with a unique ID number and badge that can be shown to potential puppy families. To qualify for the badge, breeders must be interviewed and accepted into the Tell Tail responsible breeding community. All breeders applying for the badge are thoroughly vetted by Tell Tail. Breeders must also provide identification to prove they’re not a scammer.
I also belong to GoodDog- (https://www.gooddog.com/) another well-known and trusted platform where responsible breeders may list a litter of puppies. I went through an interview process and showed identification to become part of GoodDog as well. Puppy buyers are even welcome to use GoodDog’s secure platform to pay for a puppy. GoodDog protects both breeders and buyers from puppy scammers.
As you can see, there are ways to avoid a puppy scam in the first place. It is important for puppy owners to get to know the breeder and for breeders to get to know their puppy buyers. If something seems off it is important to investigate further before committing to a puppy. Do your homework and ask a lot of questions. An ethical breeder will be more than happy to provide all the proof you need to make sure they’re legitimate.
