Phantom Puppy scam

Avoiding Common Pet and Puppy Scams

I was recently emailed by someone in Brazil, asking me if the photos they had seen in an online ad were actually of my puppies. They were – and no, I am not selling Finn and Madge in Brazil. Instead, this is just another appearance of the phantom puppy scam. This seemed like as a good a time as ever to review some of the most common scams that victimize both sellers and buyers alike.

With most of these scams, the best prevention is plain old common sense. Any time you’re offered money for nothing, or an expensive puppy for ‘free’, your alarm bells should go off.

Prevention is essential, because in the Bank Draft Scam and ‘Big Check’ Scam, there’s almost zero chance that the authorities, the police, or anyone else is going to be able to get your money back, or bring these scammers to justice.

Bait and switch puppy scam

The con: In this scam, there actually is a puppy – it’s just not the one you saw the photos of. Instead of the shiny coated, clear eyed, conformationally correct pup you saw pictures of, you end up with a sickly, undersized puppy of a completely different color. Gina De’Lynn Price was great at this – numerous customers complained about getting a runty, sick Bulldog who appeared under aged, instead of the happy, healthy Bulldog puppy they saw photos of.

In some cases, this scam involves photos stolen from the websites of other, more legitimate breeders. We’ve personally seen photos of Tessa, Rebel, Sailor, Hammer, Solo and numerous others of our dogs show up on Puppy Find and similar websites, all being touted by scammers as the dogs they have for sale.

Commonly found: Anyplace on the net where people advertise puppies for sale

Avoiding this scam: Insist on frequent, numerous photos. If you’re skeptical, ask the breeder to hold up a sign in front of the puppy with a copy of that day’s newspaper. Better still, pick up your puppy in person.

Phantom Puppy Wire Transfer scam

The con: There’s no puppy at all here – just a lot of heart tuggingly sad stories, and a price that seems to good to be true (because it is).

In this scam, the perpetrator tells a sad story of having to place his Bulldog puppies because he has: lost his job; lost his wife; gone to Africa to be a missionary; been transferred for his job; placing them for a dead relative. There are as many reasons as there are scams, but the basic key is always that the puppies are ‘free’ – you’re just required to pay the shipping costs, which are a nominal amount, usually under $400.

Here’s the email that a scammer just attempted to post to my French Bulldog mailing list:

I am looking to rehome a litter of adorable bulldog puppies and  parents they belong to my late grand mother who I was really close to and she passed away unexpectedly
mom and dad of these puppies both have wonderful temperament they are good with kids and other animals and the puppies are so cute and full of energy and mischief to no end somedays
They come with complete shots and worming up to date. They do the funniest things. You just can’t get enough of their playful antic. And they are growing so fast.
contact me immediately if you are interested in them.

Once you show signs of interest, the con artist will tell you that the puppies are someplace exotic, usually Nigeria (which is where this scam tends to originate from). You’ll be asked to wire the money by Western Union, at which time the con artist will do one of two things: disappear altogether, never to be heard from again; or ask for more money, to cover ‘shipping costs’, or ‘government fees’ or veterinary care for the suddenly sick puppy. Some victims report that, when they’ve balked at paying the additional charges requested, they’ve received ‘threatening emails’ promising that they’ll be charged for animal abandonment if they don’t arrange for the puppy’s shipping (ie; cough up more money).

This scam usually involves Bulldogs and French Bulldogs, for the simple reason that a $200 price tag for a $2,000 puppy can make people set aside their skepticism in search of a bargain.

Commonly found: Free on line ad sites, or sites that allow people to place free ‘trial ads’, direct emails to your inbox, newsgroups, on line discussion groups, forums.

Avoiding this scam: Never, ever wire money to pay for a puppy. Never ‘buy’ a puppy that you’ve been told is in Nigeria or any other African country. Never respond to out of the blue emails asking for your ‘help’ in ‘rescuing’ a purebred puppy for a low fee to cover shipping. Never forget to apply logic to ads like these – why would anyone ‘give away’ a puppy they could easily sell? And, if you do get scammed, don’t expect anyone to help you. There are almost no cases of scammers being brought to justice for running these schemes.

Big Bank Draft Puppy Purchase Scam

The con: In this case, dog breeders are the victims. The con artist contacts breeders about their puppies for sale, and says he’d like to purchase one. Usually, they refer to themselves as either ‘international business men’, or in some reported cases have claimed to be Saudi royalty.

The scammer, after a few emails wherein he states his serious interest in purchasing a dog, mentions that he has an bank draft for a large sum, given to him by one of his customers. He’d like to give you the entire draft, and asks that you refund him the balance, after deducting the cost of the puppy and his transportation fees. Of course, he’s also willing to offer you a generous processing fee for doing him this one small favor…

If you agree, the scammer will send you a realistic looking bank draft, usually drawn on Western Union. He then instructs you to deposit the draft immediately, and send him a check for the difference by courier.

The draft, needless to say, is a fake. If your bank wasn’t alert enough to catch the fraud when you deposited it, rest assured they’ll do so within a few days, at which time you’ll be out everything – the amount you refunded, the handling costs, the bank fees, and in some cases, the price of the puppy you shipped. In one or two memorable cases, victims unable to repay the funds faced criminal charges.

Commonly Found: Almost any on line ads for fairly high priced goods for sale can be the target of this scam. Sellers of horses, cars, electronics or other high ticket items have all been victimized by this scam. There are now reports of B&B operators, tour guides and other being targeted. If you’re advertising goods or services on line, chances are good you’re eventually going to hear from these con artists.

Avoiding this scam: Use common sense! Why would you cash a check for thousands of dollars given to you by a total stranger? Never take a bank draft, or any other payment, for more than the price of the goods you’re selling. Remember, if you have any doubts about the legitimacy of a payment you’ve received, take it to your bank or financial institution, explain the situation, and ask them to verify it before you complete your transaction. Better still, stick to cash.

The Lost Pet Scam

The con: In this, the most heartless pet scam we’ve encountered, the victims are grieving pet owners searching for their lost pets.

The Los Angeles Times explains the scam in detail:

The pitch: “I found your lost dog!”

The scam: A phone call from someone who reports finding a beloved pooch is usually cause for celebration. But Western Union warns that it could be a cruel scam. The company has received reports from owners of lost dogs who say they’ve been called by people identifying themselves as truckers. The dog, a supposed trucker says, was found along a highway.

How it works: The driver says there was no time to get the dog home because of a tight delivery schedule. Now the truck is across the country, but the trucker offers to put the dog on a flight. All you have to do is wire money for the fare. Or sometimes the trucker will also say the dog was injured, and request additional money to cover vet bills.

The outcome: You show up at the airport to meet the flight, but your dog doesn’t arrive. The con artist had gotten your number off a “lost dog” poster or advertisement and never had the pet at all. The nearly surefire way to tell this was a scam was that the money had to be wired — that makes it easy for the fraudster to pick it up and hard for you to trace it.

Advice: Western Union suggests that anyone who is phoned long distance by a person claiming to have found a lost pet ask questions about the animal that are outside the scope of what was on a poster or in an ad. In any case, always be wary if a stranger requests funds be sent by wire.

The “Adopt or Rescue a French Bulldog or English Bulldog” Scam

The con: This one is slick, and preys on our tendencies as loving dog owners to want to help out dogs in need. The con men set themselves up as a ‘rescue’, claiming to have dogs that they’ve liberated from puppy mills. The trick here is the price – $3,000 and up, in some cases, to ‘adopt’ a dog from a rescue. What you’re actually doing, of course, isn’t ‘rescuing‘ or ‘adopting‘ –  it’s buying. You’ve bought a dog from a puppy mill, for a typical high ticket price, and no health guarantee (after all, you didn’t buy that dog, you adopted it, and caveat adopter). The profits go right back into the mill’s pockets, and allow them to pump out more sub standard puppies.
Commonly found: All over the web. YouTube is littered with videos for places that claim to help ‘rescue’ Bulldogs and Frenchies from Thai puppy mills, or Dog Farms in Ireland, or midwest commercial kennels. A search on ‘rescue a French Bulldog’ will bring up blogs and websites, all touting high priced puppies in need of  “adoption”. I’ve also received several direct mails from groups claiming to be “Rescues” or “Sanctuaries”, in one memorable case soliciting donations for a ‘Sactuary for the homeless French Bulldogs of Thailand’. The idea of packs of homeless, feral French Bulldogs roaming the streets of Thailand would be funny, if this wasn’t such a cruel scam.

Avoiding this scam: Learn to differentiate between a real rescue group, and a company selling puppies. A legitimate rescue will be well organized, well established, and often times a registered charity. There will hardly ever be cute young puppies available, since there’s no lack of homes waiting for adorable puppies. Most rescue dogs are older, with many in need of veterinary care. As with the other scams, use common sense!

Why does this group always have a never ending flow of young puppies? Where are the needy adults and older dogs commonly placed through rescue? Are they a recognized charity? Will their national breed club vouch for their legitimacy? If they can’t answer all of these questions to your satisfaction, just say no thanks. Give your money to a rescue group that will actually use it help dogs, instead of using it to breed more of them.

The Little Bit of Both Scam – “Shelter” needs donations, and has too many adorable puppies..

The con: This one is a sort of hybrid, offering a bit of all of the above scams all mixed together. The emails generally claim to be from someone running a ‘shelter’ or ‘sanctuary’. They are in desperate need of donations, because they just have too many cute (pure bred) puppies to care for. Of course, if you’d prefer, you can also choose to adopt one of their puppies.
Over on the Poodle and Dog Blog, Jan details an email she just received from a ‘shelter’ that’s just over run with adorable teacup “Yorkes” (sic), French Bulldogs and Bulldogs (unlike the average shelter, which is over run with adolescent male dogs of indeterminate ancestry). Of course they’re available for ‘adoption’, or they’d settle for just your donation.

The scam works on two levels – they’ll take your donations, of course, but what they’d really prefer is to get you to reveal your bank account donation, so that you can set up regularly scheduled donations. This lets them use your banking information for identity theft, check fraud, or, in some cases, to clear out your account altogether.

If you indicate you’d like to adopt one of their puppies, this segues into the phantom puppy scam – you’ll be asked to wire money to cover shipping costs, and generally veterinary expenses. This can add up to thousands of dollars, and all for puppies that do not even exist.

Commonly found: So far, I’ve seen this sent out as a direct e-mail campaign. Apparently, they’ve also placed on line classified ads on free sites.

Avoiding this scam: As with all the other scams, use common sense. Why on earth would a shelter be over run with pure bred, expensive, highly desirable puppies? Answer: they wouldn’t, of course.

Never donate money to any shelter or sanctuary that you can’t verify actually exists. If they don’t have a physical address you can visit locally, or are registered as a charity, don’t give them your money. As with all phantom puppy scams, never wire money for a dog. Always pick puppies up in person, and don’t pay until you have done so.

86 replies
  1. Sasha
    Sasha says:

    there is an advert aimed at all over the globe titled NIKKI FRENCH BULLDOG PUPPIES READY TO GO NOW – this is a scam i have just been scammed out of R5050 please people dont make my mistake research research research

    Reply
  2. frenchie owner
    frenchie owner says:

    There is also a scam from a website named awsomepethome.org or awsomepetshome.org
    They use a shipping comp named Houston Pet Movers. SCAM FAKE INVOICES BEWARE!!

    Reply
  3. Mina
    Mina says:

    Hello,
    I just wanted to let everyone know there is a puppy scam… its for French Bulldogs. and the dogs were listed on several internet pet sites: dogsnnow, hoobly etc. The person claims he is an engineer, wife dead had bred puppies for her one mail and two females from a litter of six. They as for a vanilla reload card in payment. The puppies are $500. If you went through after giving address and information.. (lucky they didn’t ask for credit or anything, banks nothing) you will receive an email from USHIPTrans at outlook. THIS IS A SCAM. Please buyer beware!

    Don’t make the same mistakes we did.

    Reply
  4. Megan
    Megan says:

    I have some one that has two franchise that want me to Western Union the money to Cameroon orphanage that her husband makes a donation every month of at least $100 and he will put off for the rest of the money for the cost of shipping and handling for the puppies which is the flight and delivery … has anybody heard of these people I got the ad off of Craigslist

    Reply
  5. Meli
    Meli says:

    Does anyone know if this is a scam?

    http://planetfrenchie.pw/frenchie/available-puppies.html

    I’ve been in contact with someone there and I fell in love with one of his pups. I was planning to take a road trip to go pick the pup up but the address he included in his email is on a bunch of realty websites. The listing shows as pending which means someone made an offer. I’m not sure what to do! I asked him if I put a deposit on the pup if he could hold him for me and he agreed.

    Reply
  6. Ginny
    Ginny says:

    New scam. .I inquired about a frenchie. Sandra jackson a supposed breeder emailed me that she sold the last dog but that rev.McDonald Daniel got two puppies, male and a female but that god called him to serve so he moved from oregon to NC and can’t care for the puppys. I was to contact him via email, which I did.he sent pictures of his 2 babies, 4 month old darling pups. They looked much younger and one was playing with an older frenchie. Didn’t seem right. He said they were spayed and nutured, which is really young to do, only wanted $1,200.for both and he would ship them from NC to me in oregon no extra charge.
    He gave me his bank info and then agreed to half down and the rest upon delivery. All this .in July heat, which is insane. .
    One little weird thing after another. .I asked for his phone number, never got it. .he didn’t have a website, couldn’t find the breeder’s website..until finally the joyous prospect of two new puppies turned into a reality check. .
    I called a listed frenchie breeder in the city the fake breeder said to be from and he’s never heard of her, she wasn’t in the French bulldog club and he assured me that no one would ship 4 month old pups in July. Poof..reality appears again.
    How do people stand looking in the mirror with this dishonest attitude. All the good a person could hope for is at hand in kindness, honest living, and a giving heart. When will mankind wake up. Life is good.
    The real breeder and I hit it off and we will most likely get a wonderful puppy from him down the line and we will go visit the puppy as he transitions into our lives. .it worked out well.

    Reply
    • Josie
      Josie says:

      I just got caught us in this exact scam! It is the same people, same story. I felt like something was wrong, so I started doing some digging. I couldn’t find any record of the breeder or of the “Reverand”
      I am so glad I saw this on the web.
      Obviously going to let this dream go!

      Reply
      • Ginny
        Ginny says:

        Ps..we got a beautiful little frenchie from a real breeder in oregon. This guy is now in the system and his residence, bank info etc. is known to the police..yay

        Reply
  7. Will
    Will says:

    I also contacted the same lady about a young Frenchie. Her was her response, which sounds sadly similar:

    Hello,

    Sorry for the bit late Response, You are a bit late, I just sold the baby you saw on the ads. But you can contact one of my buyers that bought puppies from me. Rev. Donnie Mccortes he just contacted me that he is now in Las Vegas, Nevada for a missionary work and he went there with the two puppies he recently bought from me. According to him, his commitment with God`s work did not give him the needed time he needs to be with the puppies,he needed a caring parent who can adopt the babies back asap.
    Below is his email address, contact Rev. Donnie Mccortes and request for the puppies he needs a parent for. He will be very happy if he knows you are from me.Below is the email address where you can contact him.
    Rev.DonnieMccortesfamily@hotmail.com
    Let him know that you will provide a lovely home for his puppies.The puppies are up to date on all vaccinations and shots,de-wormed,AKC registered and health certified. Also let Reverend Mccortes know i directed you about his puppies for new home,keep me posted with his response.

    Reply
  8. Ginny
    Ginny says:

    We found his home, contacted the bank reported him to the sherif and they know all about this scam. So hopefully he’s out of the loop now.

    Reply
    • frogdogz
      frogdogz says:

      Well, you tell me.

      No names.
      No address.
      No city.
      The puppies are “50% off”.
      If you google their ad copy, it shows up on 15 different sites, all selling puppies.
      Their ad copy says, repeatedly, “bulldog”, even though they are selling Frenchies.

      So, is it a scam? You tell me.

      Reply
    • Rebecca Ybarra
      Rebecca Ybarra says:

      I just got a text from them he send more picture of the pup i wanted. I liv in az and he says he lives in Maryland. So instead of me sending money my dad lives in DE so he agreed to meet with my dad to pick up the dog and my dad would give the money to him. I will let u know what happens cuz its a little weird that his number is not a MD area code. Im not interested in having my pup shipped or sending money i will only do in person or my dad pick up. That way i dont get scammed. I will let u know. So if it helps u .

      Reply
  9. CJ
    CJ says:

    Thanks for posting on this topic. we found an ad in a local paper. when i called the number it didnt work so i emailed. here is the reply i just got. I guess they are still doing this.

    Hello,

    Sorry for the bit late Response, You are a bit late, I just sold the baby you saw on the ads. But you can contact one of my buyers that bought puppies from me. Rev.Thomas Villafana he just contacted me that he is now in Omaha Nebraska for a missionary work and he went there with the two puppies he recently bought from me. According to him, his commitment with God`s work did not give him the needed time he needs to be with the puppies,he needed a caring parent who can adopt the babies back asap.
    Below is his email address, contact Rev.Thomas Villafana and request for the puppies he needs a parent for. He will be very happy if he knows you are from me.Below is the email address where you can contact him.
    Rev.thomasvillafanafamily@hotmail.com
    Let him know that you will provide a lovely home for his puppies.The puppies are up to date on all vaccinations and shots,de-wormed,AKC registered and health certified. Also let Reverend Villafana know i directed you about his puppies for new home,keep me posted with his response.

    Thanks.

    Reply
    • frogdogz
      frogdogz says:

      OK, let’s play GUESS IF THIS IS A SCAM.

      Missionary Worker
      Reverend
      Email address contact only
      Puppies for a RIDICULOUSLY LOW PRICE, being RE HOMED

      So, you tell me.

      Reply
    • Kim
      Kim says:

      I believe they are the same as http://amazonfrenchies.us/,they have the same pics but I emailed them they sent an email then a text advising of the email sent. The email is not too personal, it has the same info on the website.
      Usually is a pup is per say 50% off, I wouldn’t trust it, JMOKi

      Reply
      • tanya fulton
        tanya fulton says:

        They are a complete and total scam. I google imaged one of the puppy pics and it connected me with two other scam complaints where the people, unfortunately, had paid for the shipping before the scam was realized.

        The scammers will tell you their english bulldog pups are 50% off, and that they breed for the love of the breed and not for money. They will also tell you that she works for civil service and her partner is in the military, stationed in DC, where they live. They will sell you the loving puppy story, how much they love and care for the breed, and want good homes for the pups,,,blah,blah,blah. They will even give you a care package with a cd, shampoo, and the like. They even went so far as to recommend purina healthy blend dog food, as thats what is best for the pups. They made the sale of them having to decide whether the pup would be good for my home, asking me questions about whether the pup would be used for breeding or left outside, because if these things were to occur, they would not be willing to adopt. I gave them my background of retired military, and being a disabled vet, who is looking for a companion dog. I now feel pretty stupid for giving my background to a total fraud.

        They talked to me about flying the pup, telling me the flight cost was 185.00, and the flight and transfer would take anywhere from 2-18 hours. I live in Eureka, CA, which is true northern Cali, 3 hours from the Oregon border. There is NO way this flight would be this cheap to this area for this pup, and it’s not a short trip, They told me they have a company that is very good with the pups, and the animals are the only ones that go on the flight with the pilot, and that they trusted these people for transport. (all for 185.00 total, including fees? yeah right), However, when I asked what company and/or airline was flying the puppy, they told me they used several carriers, different that what was originally said. Then they told me I could use moneygram to make a payment and send it to her brother, as he is the closest to that center. I stopped any further contact at that point, and have not heard from them since.

        If it had not been for this site, I would not have known what to look for, or investigate, and I thank you for your help. I may have been scammed otherwise, had I not trusted my gut and my new knowledge.

        Reply
    • val
      val says:

      I am so glad I found this site. I was looking for this site and i couldn’t find it. Now I know why. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for saving my a,,,,

      Reply
  10. Elaine
    Elaine says:

    Anyone hear of frenchbulldogs.net or frenchieb44@gmail.com? Selling frenchies for $699 each with free shipping? Has 4 puppies on site with pics of parents? With another litter coming in October? Says they enjoy breeding and just ask for donation fee? Sounds too good to be true?
    Email address located in FL but list an Alabama phone number?

    Reply
    • Denise
      Denise says:

      I’ve been in contact with this same website/email. I asked for vet references and previous customer references, they sent me 2 phone numbers to call with no names of who i was calling but never gave me their vet’s information so i could verify that they are legitimate. I told them that they are a scam and the emails continued back and forth, trying to convince me that they are honest people and why would they scam me. I also asked where they are located and i was told Baltimore, which is only 2 1/2 hrs from me, i asked if we could meet the puppies prior to making a decision, they never answered that question and just kept insisting that they were a family with integrity and would never scam someone. 14 emails later, i never even received their name or their vet’s info. I also checked the web address and it was just set up in August of this year, if they were legitimate and doing this for years as they claim, then why is the website only 1 month old? Total Scam!!!!

      Reply
      • Kristina Burrows
        Kristina Burrows says:

        BEWARE OF WEBSITE CALLED – Mumy Love Frenchies http://www.mumylovefrenchies.com
        Oh my god – thank god for this site! They were previously operating as Unity and Amazon and have re-opened under the name Mumy Love Frenchies. I almost fell for it because that damn dog is so cute and the price is as I should have known – too good to be true! But when he wouldn’t give me a couple names and numbers of past clients to contact the wheels started turning. Then I google mapped the address he gave and it went to parking lot in Maryland city area, not a 26 acre farm! What horrible human beings! Please forward this information to anyone that can help catch these guys or at least help anyone else avoid getting scammed!

        Reply
          • Cathi Jorgensen
            Cathi Jorgensen says:

            Does anyone know if this is a scammer? I too am in contact with them about 2 puppies. In their descriptions of About us and their Guarantee pages I see references to Unity Bulldogs and Amazon frenchies. Their website now is Blue Crown French Bulldogs. Would love to hear from anyone who has/is dealing with them. The person who emailed/texted me signed Gabriel but referred to themselves as a she. I just asked for address and contact phone number to discuss further – we shall see I guess????

          • Jennifer
            Jennifer says:

            I am dealing with the same person named “Gabriel.” I believe it is a scam. I did a google search of the address he gave me and it is not a farm; it is a townhouse in a city area. Also, I have seen on other scam sites the exact same email wording about being retired military, almost deaf from an accident, communicates only with text and email, asks lots of questions about your home and plans for the puppy, etc. I asked for updated pictures of the dog, and I got sent the same exact pictures that were on the website, which were obviously not a 12 week old frenchie. I am trying to decide if I will give him a piece of my mind or just quit communicating. If it seems too good to be true….it is!

          • Kimberlie Katzel
            Kimberlie Katzel says:

            My mom and I have been talking to them about getting 2 puppies. She stated she is deaf so needs to email. Sob story about military explosion (which I believed till now) Once I stated I would only send via PayPal, I no longer received a response. In addition she emailed me as Mary but asked me to send the money to a Ebony Livingston. The address like someone else said is not a farm. Nor does Ebony live there. Ebony is registered in Humble TX. w/ 2 different ph#’s I am trying to reach her but no response from her either. Glad I checked before sending any money.

    • Heather
      Heather says:

      Omg I’m talking to that one dose any one know if it’s a scam he stats he lives in Houston Texas sent me a video of the dog then sent me pictures of her with one ear flap down then pictures of another dog with his son totals 830 650 for pup and 180 to have her come here guy hose by the name Thomas rights says put money throw money gram is it a scam ?

      Reply
    • Stephanie Durham
      Stephanie Durham says:

      Frenchiebullgogs.net Frenchieb54@gmail.com
      Phone number +16126660651
      Says they are in baltimore maryland
      Black , blue , white with spots and solid white frwnch bulldogs for 699.00 that includes shipping…
      Scam, scam, scam, scam

      No vet records, no proof at all… wants moneygram…
      People…if it seems too good to be true…IT IS

      Reply
    • Stephanie Durham
      Stephanie Durham says:

      Hello,
        Thanks for the interest you have in my French Bulldog Puppies.
      Attached are recent pics of the male and female puppies.
      They are 11 weeks old, update on all their shot and vaccines ,healthy,
      Potty and crate trained.They are also vaccinated,vet check and dewormed
      The male is Rexie and the Female is Bella.

      All my babies are home raise around my family and well trained with much
      love and care which makes them socialize perfectly with kids,Adults and
      other pet.

      Before we go further i will like to ask you some question,

      -Where  are  you located?
      -Have you ever had this breed of dog before? if YES what is your experience?
      -Tell me more about yourself.

      Thanks
        Cynthia and Mulleng
      Scam, scam, scam, scam
      380.00 for 1 700.00 for 2 pups…
      No vet records, no proof at all… wants moneygram… western union.

      Reply
    • Emily
      Emily says:

      Ask for an address and if they give you one, tell them you won’t buy until you see them in person. They will most likely give you a spill about shipping dogs is safe etc etc. If you get that, it’s a scam. I own a French bull dog and the breeders would never ship their puppies. Also, some scams give fake addresses where they don’t come up on google maps

      Reply
  11. Melissa
    Melissa says:

    Hello. I was wondering if anyone has ever dealt with people from Richmone, Virginia United States.
    I’m wanting to get a puppy from there and it’s free shipping but it costs $670 USD. Now I want to know if anyone has been scammed by them before and if I should trust it.

    Reply
  12. Nancy
    Nancy says:

    I found a website livelyfrenchbulldogs.com selling Frenchies for $500. Teacup Frenchies at that…he said he is a hobby breeder and not out to make money on them. However, he only take Western Union payment. I originally contacted him as I read he was 4 hours from Minneapolis but come to find out via email traffic the puppies are in Maryland. Beware

    Reply
  13. Suki
    Suki says:

    What is the best way to turn in these fraudulent websites and con artists? I need to report moisebulldogpuppies.net? Total scam only wanted wired money wouldn’t provide proof of the puppy and stopped communicating after I told then I would fly there myself and pay cash.

    Reply
    • frogdogz
      frogdogz says:

      The best way to get rid of them is to STOP SENDING THEM MONEY.

      They are ALL based overseas. No US authority is going to go to Cameroon to try to extradite the person who ripped you off for $500 – and the scammers KNOW this.

      STOP
      SENDING
      THEM
      MONEY

      Reply
  14. Brian
    Brian says:

    What about dream frenchies in Dallas. There website has only been around for a couple of months but the say the have been breeding for years.

    Reply
  15. Katie
    Katie says:

    This is what I’m dealing with now, BLUE CROWN FRENCHIES. Anyone found out yet if they are a scam?

    Hi, thanks for your response!
    The puppy (Jasper) you want to take home is still available, he is
    12 weeks old and is so friendly with kids, adults and other house hold
    pets like cats and other dogs.
    We are located here in 7108 Dallas Dr, Austin, TX 78729
    so we will have to arrange and ship the puppy to you for a total of $545 if
    picking him up won’t be possible and don’t even worry about it because he
    will be shipped and delivered to you healthy, sound and safe with no issue
    and in very little or no stress state as we have always used the best pets
    transport services in the US to transport all our puppies and it has always
    been a wonderful experience. So before we chose your home or family for
    Jasper, I will like to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind:

    How old are you…?
    Are you a breeder…?
    Are you married / have kids at home..?
    Have you had a puppy before…?
    How soon do you want the puppy….?
    Do you promise to love and take very good care of this baby for the
    rest of his life…?
    Do you have a vet around you where he can always be taken for check up…?
    I will like to know a little more about you and your work schedule…?

    I am sorry if i interfere but i am asking all these just to be
    sure of where my baby will be spending the rest of his life in, hope
    you understand. Once we receive the above information from you, we
    will go through and get back to you to let you know if we have approve
    you to own one of our own or not so please be honest with your respond
    to us and if you are approved, we will get back to you with what to do
    next in other to get your new baby so kindly get back to us as soon as
    possible with reply as we will be waiting to read from you.
    God Bless
    Mary

    Reply

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