Be careful! There may be cases of scams in animal transportation where someone gives away puppies through websites. The scammer, claiming to represent our company, asks for payment through untraceable accounts like money orders or Western Union.
These cases are usually advertised on second-hand sales websites where there’s little control, but they are a fraud. Always be suspicious when pets are being given away; it’s typically a scam, and those puppies don’t exist.
How to avoid scams in animal transportation?
Furthermore, the professional pet transportation services we offer at BaggagePets will never be charged through third parties, always through us. Before making any payment, make sure you’re talking to us. Our recommendation is to report this type of activity to the police to prevent it from happening again.
Don’t trust anyone who wants to give you an animal, whether it’s a puppy or a pet several years old. No matter where you live, they will always have to send it to you, and that’s where the scammers make money through deception because the pet they’re supposed to send you doesn’t actually exist.
If you ask for more photos or even do a video call, you can ensure that they actually have an animal. Many times, the images used in ads are fake and taken from the internet. You can search for them yourself on Google, and the search results will show images used on other websites, indicating they are fake.
Scammers post their ads on second-hand item sales websites. On many of these websites, they are not obligated to provide fiscal information or officially identify themselves, and they take advantage of this to avoid leaving traces of their scams.
Another reason to be suspicious is that they use personal mobile numbers and not company numbers. These types of scams usually work only through WhatsApp or emails, but they never have official emails. Also, if you ask to contact them via email, check if they have any profiles created on social networks with a history of posts that can prove they are a real person.
You must ensure that you can locate the seller, either through an ID (which you should check for authenticity), an official email, or a landline phone number.
Other points to consider to avoid deception:
This is one of the most important points because it’s in the transportation phase where they make money for nothing. If they don’t provide you with any justification, receipt, or invoice number for the transportation cost, whether in the form of a quote or an invoice, don’t accept it. Make sure there’s an official transportation company or a real company behind the transportation that you can locate and contact by phone or email to ensure they will provide the service. Call them to verify and confirm that the service was contracted before the payment.
If they ask you to make a transfer through Western Union or another postal money transfer company, be cautious, as once it’s done, you won’t be able to trace that transfer, and they will take your money, having completed the scam.
Pet transportation should be done by professionals. This generally means that the national fee based on mileage can cost a minimum of 80€. Be wary of bargains with very cheap prices, as they can end up costing you a lot.
If you want to transport your pet under the best conditions, fill out our online form, and we’ll inform you about all possible route options and all necessary veterinary requirements.
