what is this scam spreading on social networks?

As Christmas approaches, announcements of donations or sales of pets are increasing on social networks and peer-to-peer sales platforms. But be careful, many scams can be hidden behind these ads.

Who has never fallen in love with an ad for a dog or cat for sale or offered for adoption? As the end-of-year holidays approach, there are plenty of them on social networks and sometimes hide scams.

“Be wary of all online animal sales ads, regardless of the site or platform, and never make a financial transaction without visiting and seeing the animal. Indeed, many traffickers use the Internet as a means of selling animals from other countries, raised in disastrous conditions,” the SPA even warns on its site.

several techniques used

There are several forms of scams involving animals. First, the false transport costs and false veterinary costs.

In this case, the scammer who says he is offering his animal for sale or adoption will try to extract money from the person concerned by assuming that the animal is far away, located in another region or even in abroad, and that it can only be returned to them in exchange for transport costs.

Once payment is made, the scammer will remove the ad and disappear. Another common case is fake breeders and fake Siren numbers. It's an open secret: all individuals have been banned from selling animals since 2016.

So, in order to be authorized to do so, you must make a declaration to the Chamber of Agriculture in order to obtain a Siren number. The latter must therefore appear on the ad.

Precautions to take

To scam interested parties, fake sellers use false numbers or display those of existing breeders. It is therefore important to verify the veracity of the Siren number present in the ad by searching on Sirene.fr or Societe.com.

So, in order to protect yourself against scams, it is imperative to organize a meeting with the animal. If the seller refuses, this should alert you.

Also, you should never pay without having seen the animal, whether for transport costs, veterinary costs, or to reserve the animal.