Sadly many families and individuals have been scammed out of thousands of dollars when purchasing a puppy online in Australia.
Follow these 6 simple rules to minimise your chances of being scammed.
1. Do not purchase a puppy only from a photo. Ask for an appointment via a WhatsApp, or Facetime Video Call or organise to attend the property in person to see your puppy.
2. Buy only from a registered breeder and ask for their breeder license number.
3. Contact the local council of that area to check the authenticity of the name, license number and address of the breeder.
Our Local Council is Latrobe City Shire They can be contacted on 1300 367 700. Please quote L120 to verify our license.
4. Ask for the puppy's vaccination records and microchip number
5. Ask for proof of the breeder's drivers license and request permission to check the microchip with the veterinarian who was the implanter.
6. If using a courier, check with the courier to find out how long they have been dealing with the breeder for.
We have compiled a few articles, videos and tools that will provide further advice on the best ways to purchase your puppy and how to avoid the scams that are currently circulating.
The Department of Environment and Primary Industries Victoria provides an excellent guide to Buying a pet in Victoria.
Pet Place provides information on Questions to ask the breeder when purchasing your puppy.
6o Minutes recently aired stories on puppy scams in Victoria during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gumtree provides a blog on Things you should know before purchasing from Gumtree.
Tineye is a great reverse image search tool. People can use this tool to check if the picture of the puppy has been used on any other pages and is an obvious scam.
Walkerville Vet has some good about how to avoid being scammed.
Dogmovers also have good information and as well as contacts points for those who have been scammed.
Have you had a bad experience? You can report them to Puppy Scam Awareness Australia
