Four ways to prevent pet scams

August 23, 2021
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During the pandemic, many Australians have sought to adopt a puppy or kitten. Pets are a great addition to the family and also bring a sunshine of positivity in these uncertain times.


However, puppy/kitten scams are a rising form of online fraud. Australians have lost approximately $300,000 to puppy and kitten scams during the pandemic (ACCC, 2020).


These scams involve an unsuspecting victim coerced into believing they’re purchasing a puppy/kitten for adoption. Scammers advertise puppies/kittens through fake ads and ask interested would-be customers to send money for the cost of adoption and for any costs for supposedly transporting the animal to their location.


Any payment goes directly to the scammer, not to the advertised pet agency and the payee does not actually receive a pet.


From March to July, Monoova has resolved 40 cases of puppy/kitten scams and recovered client funds totaling approximately $30,000.

The Case of a Corgi Puppy

Last month, one of our clients had a customer who experienced a puppy scam. The customer was led to believe that they were paying for a Corgi puppy and additional transportation costs.
The customer transferred $2000 to the scammer. Fortunately, Monoova was able to fully recover the customer’s funds. This was done through contacting the customer’s bank, relevant NSW police and by ultimately suspending the scammer’s account number.

Monoova first deactivated the scammer’s account number and then contacted our client. We informed them that the funds held in their customer’s account number had been involved in unlawful activity (puppy scam). Fortunately, the funds were still on their platform and were available for recovery. This isn’t always the case as scammers tend to move these fraudulent funds quite quickly.

Our client remitted the funds back to Monoova and we were able to process a full refund for the customer.  

4 tips to avoid being scammed

  1. Spot Impostors: Scammers can claim to be from legitimate businesses or even create a fake business name. Be sure to read online reviews about a seller or a pet adoption agency.
  2. Don’t Pay Upfront: Never transfer funds to a sudden request. Don’t pay upfront without actually seeing the pet first. Scammers tend to use stock photos of animals to create fake ads.
  3. Research Phone Numbers: Make sure to call the company number registered. If you have any doubt, you can search online to see if people have reported certain phone numbers as fraudulent.
  4. More Research: Check the sellers/pet agency website to see if they are legitimate. Be sure to compare with other official websites such as the RSPCA. Scammers often use fake addresses or even addresses registered to someone else. If in doubt – hold out!

Source: https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/dont-get-scammed-looking-for-a-lockdown-puppy

Get in contact with us.

Disclaimer: Monoova Payments Pty Limited (ACN 126 015 227 | AR No. 428863) trading as Monoova (Monoova) is the authorised representative of Monoova Global Payments Pty Ltd (ACN 106 249 852 | AFSL 421414) (Monoova Global), being the issuer of the Combined Financial Services Guide & Product Disclosure Statement Non-Cash Payment Products and Services (FSG/PDS). Copies of the FSG/PDS and the terms and conditions of the products and services offered by Monoova and Monoova Global (disclosure documents and terms) are available by contacting Monoova at support@monoova.com. You should consider the relevant disclosure documents and terms before deciding whether to acquire, or continue to hold, the product or service. The information provided on this website is factual information, is given in summary form, and does not purport to be complete. The information set out does not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information, you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to these matters, and in particular, you should seek independent legal, financial and tax advice. To the extent that the communication/document contains information sourced from third parties, statements made by third parties or provides link to third party websites, Monoova takes no responsibility for the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of any information included in the material provided by or statements made by third parties nor for the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of links or references to information sources (including internet sites) operated by third parties.

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