Petfinder Classifieds
As with all classifieds on the internet, there may be some fraudulent responses and/or unsolicited e-mails received and posters should keep this in mind and screen e-mails carefully. There is nothing that can be done to prevent this. You may want to consider creating a separate e-mail account for the purpose of this ad.
You can avoid would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:
- Anything that sounds too good to be true, probably is. Remember that there are millions of homeless pets across the country and it is unlikely that someone is legitimately offering you an outlandish amount of money for your pet.
- Stay local and avoid inquiries that involve shipping. Whether you are adopting or it is your pet for adoption, use the Petfinder classifieds to find someone local. Speak by phone and arrange to meet in person to make sure it is the right match for the pet. If the person you're dealing with refuses to give a phone number or meet in person, it is likely a scam.
- Petfinder.com is not involved in any adoption, and does not handle payments, guarantee adoptions or adopters. Petfinder does manually review ads for appropriate content prior to release but cannot guarantee that information listed in the postings is 100% accurate, nor do we contact posters to certify the information they post in their ads. Postings that appear fraudulent are deleted, but it is not possible to locate all false ads.
- Avoid playing into the cruelty of false lost pet responses. If you receive an email from someone who claims to have found your pet, but is no longer in the area/state/country and wants you to send them money in order to get your pet back, it is likely a scam, particularly if their emails escalate into threats of harm to you or your pet.
- Do not wire funds, use cashier's checks or money orders or give out any banking or financial information. Anyone that asks you to send money using a wire service is most likely a scam. If your bank cashes a check or money order, you as the account holder will be held responsible for any funds dispensed as a result once the fake is discovered, sometimes weeks later.
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Most scams involve one or more of the following:
- Inquiry from someone far away, often in another country
- Money transfer services (aka money wire), cashier's check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a "guarantee"
- Inability or refusal to meet face-to-face to meet the pet or potential adopter
- Greater interest in the financial transaction than adoption
- FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
- FTC online complaint form (www.ftc.gov)
- Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
- Internet Fraud Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov/)
- Your local police department (non-emergency line)
Whom should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
If you suspect that a pet for adoption on Petfinder.com is actually an attempt to scam potential adopters, please email the ad number, state it is listed under, and the type of pet to classifieds@petfinder.com.
Actual scam emails sent to Petfinder.com users:
