“How Much to Ship a Puppy?” Puppy Scams Cost Pet Lovers Thousands
Be Careful When Buying Puppies Online
You've gone online to search for a puppy and stumbled across a free Yorkie puppy named "Romeo." Or maybe it's an adorable English Bulldog puppy with droopy eyes, or a free Pomeranian puppy named "Candy." It might even be a free Persian or Siberian kitten or an African Grey Parrot.
The best part? The owners of the pet aren't asking for any money -- except for the shipping costs.
Sometimes there's a sad story that goes along with the puppies, too. The puppy's owner will tell you that their daughter died and it was her puppy, or that they are adopting an orphan and won't have time to care for the puppy.
They'll probably ask you some questions meant to pull at your heartstrings and make you want to qualify to get this free puppy:
- "Where are you located?"
- "Are you a breeder?"
- "Do you have kids?"
- "Can you also promise that you will take good care of him/her?"
But they want some money to ship the puppy, and they want it sent through Western Union or MoneyGram. Many times they want you to send this money to somewhere like Cameroon, or sometimes it will be California or another US state.
Every day, PetRelocation takes phone calls from people who have been victims of puppy scams. It all seems so reasonable, just to pay the shipping costs. People want to know how much PetRelocation will charge to arrange the shipping and we have to explain that there is no puppy. The puppy scammers will not release the puppy to a reputable company like ours because the puppy does not exist. They only want to get your money, however small amount, in cash.
Here are some names of fraudulent companies and email addresses we have identified:
- USA PET RELOCATION Delivery Service
- IntPetRelocators
- WORLD WIDE PETS RELOCATORS
- PETS RELOCATORS TRANSPORTATION AGENCY
- PET DELIVERY/AIR TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT, PET SHIPPING AGENCY SINGAPORE
- GLOBAL PETS TRAVEL SERVICE
- PETSHIPPING AGENCY
- pets_relocators_delivery@mail.com
- leslieeve26@yahoo.com
- petshipping_agency@mail.com
- chrisnoble70@yahoo.com.au
- sera.eve80@yahoo.com
UPDATE: Please Read!
Comments Policy
If you have been scammed by a puppy shipper, feel free to post your correspondence in the "comments" section below this post as others have done, as it will help to deter the criminals.
However, please delete any of your own personal contact information from the correspondence you are copy/pasting into your comment prior to posting your comment.
Many scammers are considered to be dangerous and it is important not to publish your name, address and phone number online. If you have posted your own information and would like it removed, please email us (blog[at]petrelocation[dot]com) to let us know your name and the information you'd like removed.
"I have been scammed, what can I do to report the scammer?"
- Put as much information about the scammer as possible in the comments section below, including:
- Email address of the scammer
- Western Union name that the money was sent to (or that they asked the money be sent to)
- Phone numbers/addresses given by the scammer
- Any other information
- Fax a letter of complaint to the US Embassy in Cameroon (if you were scammed by someone in Cameroon):
The United States Embassy in Cameroon
Phone: (237) 2220-1500
Fax (237) 2220-1500x4531
- File a report with your local law enforcement and with your local FBI office.
Read more about puppy scams on our blog and via IPATA.org, and if you run across a scammer who claims to be using our company to ship you a nonexistant pet, feel free to contact us and let us know!
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in May 2010 and has been updated with new information.