You're a dog breeder (or a dog rescue operator), and one day a flattering letter arrives from a prospective buyer. A friend of his has one of your puppies, and he is so impressed with the quality and the bloodlines of his friend's dog, that he wants one too. The prospective buyer could be from anywhere ... Canada, Mexico, the United States, overseas, and he wants a dog right away, and is willing to pay top dollar for one, sight unseen. He's not worried about you scamming him out of his hard-earned money, because he trusts that you are the epitome of ethical and he knows you will select only the best puppy for his beloved family. Provided you also send his change of course.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) calls them "Check Overpayment" Scams, and they are a common scam when it comes to valuable goods, including purebred puppies. A prospective buyer starts with flattering correspondence and hopes that you (the breeder) will have a top-quality puppy for him soon. Things progress over email (and possibly phone calls) and eventually he asks you if he can send you a check for an amount of money that is more than the price of the puppy. If you get to this point, then you are about to be scammed out of some serious cash.
It may as small an amount as $200.00 over your asking price, or it may entail an amount as high as $3000.00. You are asked to cash the check, and forward the remaining balance to the puppy buyer. The original amount will have been sent to you as a personal check, but you are to refund the balance in the form of a money order, or a certified check.
Operating on good faith, you deposit his check, and forward the balance remaining back to him in a certified form, thus guaranteeing that he receives the money.
But foreign checks take time to clear, often a month or more. And in the end, it never does clear, leaving you out a substantial amount of money, and little recourse to get it back.
How to Protect Yourself
- Accept only guarranteed forms of payment. Such as known credit cards, money orders and certified checks.
- Insist on face-to-face interactions. At some point in the deal, make sure you actually meet this person, in person, with identification.
- Utilize the references you ask for. Always ask for references of some sort: veterinarian, family or friend, and call them. References don't do you any good if you don't use them./
- Always trust your instincts. Don't be afraid to walk away if you don't feel right about a buyer/adopter. Intuition is a big part of self-preservation and I feel that we should always ind what it tells us.
More About Overpayment Scams
