Journalist Yvette Brend from CBC News recently reported that pet scammers bilked Canadians out of more than $700,000 in 2021. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) has logged 247 reports of pet scams in 2022 so far. "They're playing on victims' emotions and in a lot of cases, people are looking for companionship."
CAFC estimates less than five per cent of victims report fraud to the agency.
Always report scams — even failed attempts — as the CAFC collates the information so investigators can search it for use in investigations of repeat scammers.
Over the past nine years, the numerous media stories of disappointed Kijiji users demonstrate that too many buyers continue to be cheated by unscrupulous breeders on classified sites like Kijiji.
Classified sites are unable to distinguish responsible breeders from breeders who, without regard to animal welfare and the buyer, profit from the sale of animals. Online marketplaces Used.ca, OfferUp, BuySellTrade, letgoCanada, Craigslist and Facebook prohibit the sale of animals on their sites. The President of Used.ca even commented that “websites like ours are not qualified or capable of regulating the breeding of pets" when they banned profiting from household pets across their entire network back in 2015. This campaign has won support of over 449,700 people and from some of the country’s largest corporations. TD Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Toyota Canada, Tangerine Bank, National Bank of Canada and shopping site Zulily have all pulled their ads from Kijiji’s pet sale pages.
Here are some tips to help you avoid being duped by pet scammers:
- Is the animal "free," or is the price otherwise too good to be true? Then it's probably fake.
- Do a reverse image search of the animal, and see if it shows up on other sites.
- Legitimate breeders have wait lists and do extensive interviews with buyers.
- Use a credit card to pay. Never wire transfer.
- Never send money without seeing the animal, at least by video chat.
- Demand a video chat to see animals or buy locally, so you can visit in person.
- Opt for a local animal shelter or breeder, if possible.
Click here to read CBC News recent report on pet scams. Thank you for sharing this message and signing the petition.
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