Happy Tails Alerts
New LIVE Chat!
We are excited to launch our new live chat feature on our website! Have questions about our services? Wondering what the best method of transport is for your pet? Simply click the tab on the bottom right-hand side of our webpage to message us!
Responses will be received as quickly as possible during business hours (7 am - 4 pm MST Mon - Fri). After hours, the chat feature will leave us a message and we will respond the next working day.
Featured Testimonial
"Kim at Happy Tails Travel is an absolute miracle worked. My 125 lb wolfhound more than exceeds normal size regulations, but she found me a kennel AND an airline that could fly him from Maui to Alaska - something that no other pet relocation service was able to offer."
Make sure to read the rest of Weylyn's testimonial and our others here!
Tips To Avoid Pet Adoption Scams
What is a pet adoption scam?
It is scammers who target honest and innocent pet loving people searching online forums to find a pet to adopt. Craigslist is a place where the scammers begin their dirty deeds at honest people's expense. Here is generally how it works.
The scammer first puts an ad offering pets for sale a very low cost. One of their tactics to make the adoption look legit is by showing pictures of the pets, stolen from other websites, and lifting entire pet travel websites and then inserting the fake name of their business and their contact numbers to make it look like their own website.
The chain of events:
1. Victim responds to the ad and questions the low price or reason for adopting out such an expensive pet.
2. Typical answers: Recently moved and can't take their pet. Not enough time to care for pets. Too many pets already.
3. Victim and scammer exchange emails, ID's and phone calls to prove creditably. The scammer offers to ship the pet and asks the victim to only pay for shipping. Scammer then asks for untraceable Money Grams, Western Union, money orders, or gift cards.
4. After transfer of money the victim does not receive the non-existent pet. When the victim does hear from scammer again, it is only for more money to be sent for various reasons, such as airport holding of the animal for quarantine, unexpected vet fees, or the pet needs a different crate. Eventually the victim stops sending money and realizes there is no pet coming to them.
5. Sometimes the victim may finally reach out to the legitimate company the scammers were copying their information from. In these cases, the true company cannot do anything to assist the victim except to report the scammer for falsely using their company information. It is important that you, as an interested pet owner, verify the legitimacy of the seller and pet relocation company you are interested in working with and do your due intelligence before sending money over. If a situation seems too good to be true, it probably is.
How to avoid a pet adoption scam & warning signs:
- Emails contain broken English as the scammers are generally in another country. Watch for poor grammar and spelling mistakes.
- They want all of your info, however they do not reveal their names, addresses, phone #, show pictures of themselves, their home, or their business. They try to paint a picture of themselves by saying things such as they are a married couple, with one of them handicapped and recently lost a job.
- They prefer to use full breed puppies; the most popular is English bulldogs. Other popular dogs are Yorkies, Chihuahuas, Pugs, Pitbulls, Huskies, Golden Retrievers and Labradors.
- They say they are missionaries from another country.
- Their ad offers to set you up with a pet shipper.
- They want it to happen very quickly due to sob stories such as pet will be in danger if not sent soon.
- They will ask for last minute fees which were not communicated from the beginning. They will then threaten to hold you legally responsible for the pet if additional funds are not sent immediately (they cannot take any legal action again you, as they are the ones acting illegally).
- They try to get you into an agreement to send payment to the seller, usually by Western Union.
- They may also ask for other forms of non-traceable payment such as gift cards or money order. Common gift cards scammers request are Amazon, Walmart and iTunes.
Resources and what you can do:
When you are ready to adopt a pet, be educated and check out carefully the person you are purchasing from. Ask questions. Pay by credit card via a secure website. Adopt locally and in person.
If you do get scammed inform the scammer the gig is up and you know they are not legit and you are reporting them to the local and national authorities to get them shut down. Do not be intimidated by them. Below are some websites to report.
Think you may have been scammed? Happy Tails Travel, Inc. does not work with 3rd party vendors where they would arrange your pet’s entire transport without you speaking directly with us. If you have been contacted by a company or individual claiming to use Happy Tails Travel, Inc. to relocate a pet you may be purchasing or adopting, please visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center or IPATA Pet Scams to learn how to report a possible scam.
If you are in need of assistance with transporting your pet, please fill out our
Pet Travel Form or give us a call at 1-800-323-1718 or 520-299-3315. We are always ready and happy to discuss how we can help you to provide a smooth move for any member of your pet family.
Recent Scam Involving Payments Requested through Western Union
Recently, we have become aware of a scam in which pet adopters are receiving email requests for payment through Western Union. If you are a adopting a pet and they ask for payment by Western Union or Money Gram, STOP! Do not send money. It is a scam! We never ask for this type of payment. Our policy is by a credit card with a signed contract.