Preventing Pet Seller Scams On Preloved

Lockdown brought us many things, such as how to bake the perfect banana bread, zoom quizzes, and for many of us a new fur baby. The kennel club reported an increase of 168% in 2019 from people using their 'Find a Puppy' tool since the start of lockdown, peaking in May 2019 with their biggest rise at 237%. As potential buyers grew they became more susceptible to being scammed by rogue breeders or scammers. With 1 in 3 buyers admitting to being clueless when looking for reputable seller or how to spot scammers. Unfortunately though scamming isn't just exclusive to COVID and lockdown. So how are we preventing pet seller scams on Preloved?

One thing we are doing to make online buying and selling even safer is introducing Trustap, read on to find out how that can help preventing pet scammers.

How to Spot a Scammer

In just 2 months during COVID, Action Fraud reported victims lost £280,000, by May 2020, 668 people had reported losing money to scams, if you are one of these don't worry you aren't alone. The big question is though, how do you spot a scammer? Whilst Preloved are implementing software's and guidelines to help in preventing pet seller scams, there are also some obvious signs to look out for.

Seeing The Litter

Now restrictions are lifted there is no reason that you shouldn't be able to visit the pet you are purchasing. As it's a legal requirement for any pups (dogs under 6 months old) to be seen with their mum, be sure to visit them in their own home environment at least once before you make your purchase. This gives you the opportunity to view the home, the litter mates and the mum at the same time in order to spot any red flags.

Images

Preloved have now changed their policy on images and have made it a requirement that in the pet category you must have an image of the litter with the mum in at least one photo. We have also increased our image carrousel in pets to unlimited. Not only does more photos result in more adorable litter photos to look at and a higher success rate for selling, but it also allows you as the customer to notice a genuine listing. The larger variety of photos usually means the more authentic the seller, they can also add photos are requested to prove authenticity.

Cat Courier

A reputable breeder would know that cats/kitten's tend to find long journey's stressful and would think this through when listing them. Usually they will sell them within the local area or look to meet half way with the buyer. If a seller is happy to send one of their litters a long distance, note it as a red flag and question it before you make your purchase.

Pet Quarantining

As much as we wish we were away from COVID, it is still about, and a common scam is that a pet has to quarantine before it gets to you. This simply isn't true. Do not give away any money if they say this.

Cat Pedigree Age

Something to note for pedigree cats is that genuine deposits are often taken, but this falls around the 8-9 weeks old, and then the breeders will rehome the registered pedigree kitten at 13-14 weeks old, after it's second vaccination. If the advert you are looking at doesn't seem in line with these standard practices, then it's a red flag and it'd be best to avoid it.

Papers

When you receive a pet you should expect to be handed a few documents that are proof that you take ownership of this new pet, these papers are along the lines of for a dog it's a 'puppy contract'. This contract will need to be signed by both parties, and is a document that has everything which was promised and agreed upon. This contract should contain, yours and the breeder's details, as well as any details of a warranty or health claims made by the breeder, and any further agreements that you make with the breeder.

If your breeder has taken out insurance, then you should expect some insurance details to be sent with your pet. Responsible breeders will also send over  some written advice, including information about the breed (including socialisation, exercise, training and grooming), feeding advice, worming regime, and immunisation regime. If they state they are KC registered, then you should be provided with the following documents as well.

• Puppy’s pedigree and/or family tree.
• Details about your puppy’s microchip
• Copies of health certificates regarding the puppy's mother and father

Pricing

Most of the time you find that you can research for a rough price for a specific breed of pet, there will obviously be small discrepancies with pricing, and COVID has lead to a surge in pricing. But be on the look out for prices that don't seem in line, or are too good to be true, when it comes to a pet, the cheaper is not the better.

Whilst research is president and potentially the most important aspect to purchasing a pet, there are also services. We at Preloved have decided to look at what more we can be doing, which has lead us to link up with Trustap. Asking for a deposit has become the new norm, but it is also a sign to look out for, but not now with Preloved X TrustAp, a deposit is a sure fire way to hold your purchase AND keep your money in trusted hands, until you are happy with your purchase.

How Does A Trustap Transaction Work

When purchasing a pet you will be making a face-to-face transaction, which allows our Preloved Community to buy and sell together in the real world.

Firstly once you have liaised with breeder/seller and are confident with your purchase/rehoming, then you will pay a refundable deposit into the Trustap hold. This also provides security and proof to the seller that you as the buyer are committed to this pet and the purchase of it.

You will then meet the seller, this mightn't be the first time you have met as you with pet purchases it is common practice to visit them before purchase. However this meet up will allow you to go over any queries or further questions you have regarding this animal and it's new ownership.

If you have concluded that you are happy with the animal you are picking up, you must then transfer what is left to pay for your new pet into the Trustap hold, which the seller will be able to see. After you have collected your new pet, there is a complaint period in which your money isn't transferred until it has passed.

How the Complaint Period Helps In Preventing Pet Scammers

The complaint period that Trustap have as part of their feature allows protection to both the buyer and the seller, and helps in preventing pet scammers. If you are dealing with a genuine and responsible breeder/seller then they would consider opting in as it would echo their confidence that all will be in line, and they are selling responsibly on our platform. It will also offer the buyer protection in the unfortunate circumstances that the breeder/seller is a scammer, meaning they have a chance to flag the seller if the pet/animal they purchase doesn't seem right or falls unwell. Prompting an investigation into the breeder/seller and protecting the buyers funds as well.

To further understand how Trustap works and how it can benefit you in your future purchases read our blog here.