How to Avoid Scams!
Are you shopping for a Pomsky puppy? Or a puppy of any breed?
Scammers are rampant! They are stealing millions of dollars from unsuspecting puppy shoppers. How can you protect yourself from being scammed, while connecting with good breeders?
WATCH OUT FOR SCAMMERS!
BEFORE you fall in love with an internet picture, compare the 11 warning signs of an online puppy scammer below:
1) All of the puppies for sale on their website are the same age, usually 10-11 weeks, and ready to go home NOW. (Hint, most Pomsky breeders have all their pups sold by 8 weeks).
2) All of the photos have different backgrounds and the puppies look completely different (age and obviously not littermates).
3) The puppies are never shown with their littermates or mother.
4) Check popular Instagram accounts and you’ll see those same adorable puppies safely in their forever homes. Scammers use those popular pictures to try to capture the unsuspecting heart of people to make them press that BUY button. The “Reverse Image” Google search is also your friend in your investigation.
4) They promise to deliver the puppy to your doorstep in a climate-controlled crate.
“Go to our -FIND A BREEDER- tab on the top of the page to prevent being scammed.”
5) The prices are 1/3rd of the cost that you see from reputable Pomsky breeders. If you see a puppy that is less than $2000 with perfect markings, then chances are, that’s a scammer. There are occasions when good breeders will reduce their price on the last pup in the litter if it’s older or not perfectly marked, so please keep that in mind.
6) They claim puppies are AKC registered. We have not yet achieved AKC recognition.
7) Check the website well. They often refer to other breeds or locations accidentally because they copy or recycle the same website over and over as they get caught.
8) When communicating with them, they immediately push for payment. Weird phrasing in words/sentences where English is not the first language.
9) Be aware that scammers are now doing voice-overs on videos. Taking other breeders’ videos and dubbing their voices on them.
10) Most good breeders watermark every picture. (There are some that do not) Watermarks should match the kennel name and/or logo.
11) Asking for weird forms of payment, such as Gift Cards or Western Union. Many legitimate breeders no longer accept Paypal because they have a no animal sales policy.
Our most helpful tip is to be patient.
We understand that when you decide you want a puppy, that you really want one NOW, but, this is the singularly most common reason why people are scammed. People decide they want a puppy and forget to check for the warning flags. We highly recommend that you find a good breeder (LIST of good breeders), develop a relationship with that breeder, and get on their waitlist for an upcoming litter. It will make you a part of their Pomsky family, you’ll often see pictures of puppies from newborn onward, you’ll get to meet others who have puppies from other litters from that breeder, and then you are guaranteed to get the Pomsky puppy you want.
Work with the small Pomsky breeders, much like you would support the small local businesses in your area. Breeders that always have puppies available are generally puppy mills or large commercial entities that send thousands of puppies every year to pet stores or overseas (PSST, APKC breeders won’t do that; it’s unethical!)
Puppy scammers are especially bad around the holiday season.
Dogs do not have puppies on demand, they often only cycle twice a year. Expecting puppies to be available on Christmas, for example, is nearly impossible for breeders. Being reasonable in your timeframe expectations is important.
If you find a scammer:
Here’s a great website that focuses on protecting the public from scammers. Follow their steps for reporting the scam website to the various agencies. https://petscams.com/report-pet-scam-websites/
If you are unsure if a Pomsky breeder is legitimate, feel free to email info@americanpomskykennelclub.org and we can let you know if they are a known breeder in the community.
