TIPS THAT MAY HELP BUYERS weed out the dishonest seller when purchasing animals from an unknown source.  The term animals can apply to puppies, kittens, birds, monkeys, horses or any other type of animal.  Because we are an association involved with pets, below we may often use the term "pet" but please understand that scammers are involved with ALL types of animals in ALL countries! 

1. When purchasing an animal from a breeder, broker, or a third party, the buyer should have a firm and binding contract with the seller, including the method of transportation, the time frame of the air transport, the airline of carriage, as well as a copy of the health certificate.  For travel involving the USA, exact travel times and routings may only be revealed after travel is in process, by ruling of the TSA.

2. Check out their references:

   • Ask for references from other buyers in your state or country; then contact them.

   • Ask for names and phone number for shippers they have used in the past.  If they indicate that a specific company will handle the shipping, get complete details for the shipping company and then telephone them - even if it's an international long distance call - to confirm that the shipping company even "knows" the breeder.   And do this BEFORE you send any money!

   • If their website indicates that they are a member of IPATA, please look up their company name on our website.  There are several companies whose websites claim to be a member of IPATA but they are not members nor have they ever been.  If you cannot find the company listed, then send an email to admin@ipata.com and we will confirm whether they are a member or not. 

3. If you only have an email address for a company, request their web address before forwarding any money.  Email addresses are very easy to change and frequently used by scammers since they are often untraceable.  Nearly all reputable breeders will have a website.  If you only have an email address, be very cautious!   

4. Analyze their website:

   • Look for inconsistencies, poor grammar and misspelled words on the website.  For example, we found one website who lists a Seattle, Washington telephone prefix (206-XXX-XXXX) and a phone number in Cameroon yet says that it services the Washington D.C. area airports (IAD, DCA & BWI).  It says they are licensed by the USDAT (There is no USDAT; it’s USDA) and that they are owned and operated by a “USDAT” accredited veterinarian.  They are a member of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association, yet they aren’t located in Texas and we aren’t even sure if they are located in the USA. 
   • Look for misspelled words in their email address.  i.e., ipatashiiping_agent@yahoo.com or pettranspoter@kittymail.com
   • Watch for phone numbers that start with +237 (or 00237) or +234 (or 00234). as "237" is the country code for Cameroon and "234" is the country code for Nigeria both of which are notorious for scams.  However, scams can also originate from other countries (such as Cyprus or Benin or even the UK and USA).  Often scammers will give you a phone number in their country but say they are located in a different one (or they service airports in a different country).  To look up a country code to see what country it is, go to http://www.countrycallingcodes.com/Reverse-Lookup.php
   • Make sure that the seller has given you a telephone number.  Then call it to make sure that a real person answers on the other end, even if it's a long distance international call.
   • If a company name is referenced in their email or website, do a google search to research the company name.  If you find the company's website, confirm that the person you are dealing with is part of this company.  Scammers are now copying mastheads off of other company websites and including it in their emails so it looks like a legitimate company - but it isn't. 
   • If the company has any licensing information listed on their website, independently verify it to ensure that it is valid.  If you cannot find out who to contact to verify the licensing information, ask the company directly for a phone number for verification purposes. 
   • In the USA, USDA requires licensing or registration of any company that is a breeder, a dealer, a transporter, a carrier (such as an airline) or is an intermediate handler (i.e., receives animals from one party to deliver to another – such as an airline).  However, not all who are involved in these activities are licensed or registered with USDA even though it is, technically, a requirement.  If you wish to look up a company to see if they are registered or licensed with USDA: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/publications.html then click on “Facility Lists” toward the bottom of the page.  (Note:  Often a company may be registered under a different name than you may be familiar with such as a corporation operating under a DBA.  You may need to match up a company by their address or other information.  If you can’t find a company listed, ask the company for their USDA license number which can, then, be verified on-line.)  Note:  ONLY USA companies can be registered with USDA!

5. Ask for the registration of the breed and what association the seller is a member of.

6. Ask for a picture of the pet and a printed pedigree back 3 generations or more.

7. Do not send funds by Western Union as these funds can be picked up by anyone who knows the correct password.  Any reputable dealer will request that you wire transfer funds to their company bank account or will accept a credit card or PayPal payment.  (PayPal and credit card payments give you the most protection as you can dispute the charges and obtain reimbursement for at least a portion of the payment.)   Then, keep some payment back for final vet inspection upon arrival.

If It Sounds Too Good to be True, It Probably Is!

PET SCAMS:  While there are many legitimate websites offering pets and other animals for sale and animal transportation services, there are also many scams on the Internet and the problem is continuing to grow at an alarming rate.  What used to be "puppy scams" has grown to include birds and all other types of animals.

• Puppies being offered for sale (who don’t even exist) and are to be transported by XYZ company who may or may not exist.  If the company does exist, they may not even be aware that their company is listed as the shipping company.  The unsuspecting buyer completes the payment for the puppy, then calls XYZ company to find out when their puppy will arrive.  Only XYZ company has never even heard of the breeder who sold the puppy.  These puppies are being offered at below breeder rates with mysterious pedigrees. 

• If a company says that the pet will be shipped by IPATA (or a derivative) or AATA (Animal Transportation Association - or a derivative), do not believe it!  Both IPATA and AATA are "membership" organizations.  Neither IPATA nor AATA ship pets.  We have members that ship pets but only under their own company names!

• Companies claiming to be IPATA members who are not members, nor have they ever been!  If you wish to know if a company is really an IPATA member, click on FIND A PET SHIPPER and "search" our database by company name.

• Do not be misled by those who claim to be charitable or religious organizations, pastors or sisters who will give you a puppy if you'll just pay for the shipping and handling. 

• Fraudulent websites that were blatantly copied from legitimate websites, irrespective of any copyrights or trademark protection.

• Ads being put in local papers so it appears that you are buying a puppy (or a bird) locally and ads being posted on legitimate websites.

• Buyers being given booking information confirming that their new puppy is being shipped on ABC airline.  The booking information may be fraudulent and, even if it’s authentic, a “booking” doesn’t necessarily mean that they are actually shipping a puppy.  Often the airline in question doesn’t even fly to that country!

• Buyers wanting to send a cashier’s check for more money than is required so you can make a payment to their shipping agent for transport of the pet.  You deposit the cashier’s check and send the overpayment to the shipping agent only to find out from your bank later that the cashier’s check was bogus and you are held liable for repayment of the full amount.

• Puppies being purposed from Cameroon or Nigeria (or other countries) who are already being shipped to the new owner who then gets an email saying that the veterinary officials in a third country need additional money before the puppy can continue being shipped.  This does not happen in the real world.  A veterinary official in a country that the pet is being shipped through does NOT confiscate a shipment and hold it until money is paid.

• Puppies that are being transported by a professional pet shippers located in Holly Lake Ranch, Texas.  The Admin Office for IPATA is located in Holly Lake Ranch, Texas but the Admin Office does not ship pets nor are any IPATA members located at that location.

• Puppies being transported by AATA (the Animal Transportation Association).  AATA is a membership association whose members are involved in transport of all types of animals.  AATA does NOT transport animals itself; only its members do.

• Often the scammer offers to:

  (1) ship within 24 hours of payment (which is impossible due to the time required to obtain import license and veterinary health certificates)

  (2) ship from an international location to your doorstep for $250 or $350 (generally it costs more to ship a puppy internationally than it does for your plane ticket between two international locations plus you would need to purchase a travel kennel.  You can NEVER expect to pay only $250-$350 for an international shipment.)

Many of the scams involve the toy breeds, usually requires that money be sent urgently by Western Union to avoid euthanasia of the pet, and often the pets are located in Nigeria, Cameroon or Benin though we are seeing more and more scams surfacing in what used to be considered fairly “safe” countries (i.e., the U.K., Texas, etc.)   Often members of the clergy or relief / rescue workers are offering a pet because they can't keep it, begging for a good home before the puppy is euthanized.

There are too many variations to list on this website and too many fraudulent websites to list all of them.   But some of the below websites will give you additional information about scams:

http://www.petsonthenet.co.nz/scam
http://www.qualitydogs.com/scams.asp
http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/dogs/forum/6430.aspx
http://www.terrificpets.com/scams/ (listed scammers email addresses) 
http//www.fraudwatchers.org

WEBSITES and EMAIL ADDRESSES to beware of!  There are many websites and companies contacting the public via email that are promoting scams and containing fraudulent information meant to mislead the unsuspecting buyer.  There are too many to list all of them without hiring a full time person to keep everything updated.  But the below are just examples of some of the websites with notes that made it easy to identify the scammers.   

• ipata@rocketmail.com  - They are telling animal buyers that they are shipping their animals through IPATA.  They are not associated with IPATA.  We are working to get their website.

• http://www.eltoncarranzer.110mb.com/  - Free Yorkshire Puppies - We don't have enough info to make the determination if this is a scam or not however, it might be one to avoid.

• http://www.chihuahuapupz.weebly.com/ - This website has now been shut down.  This company had used  http://www.airpostcarrierservice.tk/ as their shipping agent and this site is suspected to be fraudulent.

• http://www.freewebs.com/petshippers/ - Pet Shippers, Inc - Located in Nigeria, this company claims to be a certified USDA Intermediate Handler (though USDA only registers companies that are located in the USA).  They also claim to be a member of IPATA which they are not, nor have they ever been a member. 

• There is a group in Cameroon whose email is IPATA@SIFY.com.  They are in no way related to IPATA International.

• BEWARE of websites that have "tripod.com" in them.  Scammers are copying websites of IPATA members, changing the company name slightly (Pet Express to Pet Express Intl, Global Animal Transport to Global Pet Transport, Jet Pets Animal Transport to Jet Pets Express) and hosting them on the tripod.com website.  While there may certainly be legitimate websites hosted on tripod.com, as we become aware of fraudulent ones, we are reporting them to the hosting company who is taking the websites down and posting a "Terms of Service Violation" page.  And, IPATA members are having the content of their websites copied by scammers who are using other company names (rather than just a variation of an IPATA member's name) and who are using other hosting companies. Some examples:

  • http://globalpettransport.tripod.com/index.html - Global Pet Transport - the phone number indicates they are located in Cameroon.  They claim to be an IPATA member (which they are not) and to be licensed as an Intermediate Handler with USDA however only U.S. members may be licensed with USDA.  As of 16-Feb-2007, this website has been disabled.

  • http://continentalpetagency.tripod.com/index.html - Continental Pet Agency - the phone number indicates they are located in Cameroon yet they claim to be in Equatorial Guinea.  As of 16-Feb-2007, this website has been disabled.

  • http://www.universalpetsexpress.net  - Universal Pet Express - This company has copied another pet shipper's website, claims to provide services to USA airports, claims that they can help pet owners meet requirements that are only valid for companies shipping from the USA yet they have a UK address and a phone number in Cameroon.  When you look at the source code, you see that they are hosted on tripod.com.