Worried About Puppy Scams?

Are you worried about Puppy Scam websites?

I completely understand.  What Laur’s Classic Corgi wants to set out to do is to provide a safe and easy way to find a good Pembroke Welsh Corgi breeder without the risk of getting scammed.  I have seen people get scammed in news stories on TV, in articles and mention on the AKC website.  I think it is horrible and there are things you can look out for to help you.  Read the information below and if you still need help trying to determine if a breeder is a scam just contact the Laur’s Classic Corgis facebook page and I will help.  Getting rid of scammers and making sure that people get real puppies from real breeders is important to me and the breeding industry.

Hello, I am Donnie Laur.  I am an engineering manger, former web developer, so I know some ways that people are being tricked online.  I work at a company that specializes in email security, to prevent scams.  I will help provide some ways to avoid them and help you find a reputable Pembroke Welsh Corgi breeder, even if it isn’t us.   I know what you are thinking, why would I help you find another breeder or lead you to a place that isn’t Laur’s Classic Corgis to find a dog?  The reason is simple, I like helping other people.  I believe that good people help others and in the long run it will all work out.  If I help you find a good breeder and you provide a good home, that is all that matters.  We are a business, a registered one in Georgia under Classic Corgis LLC, but we are pet owners and good people first.  If you know someone looking for a Pembroke Welsh Corgi near Georgia or would want to pickup at the Atlanta Airport just refer them to us.

Things to watch out for

• Photos are similar to other sites.  Dog breed is incorrect.  Do an internet search on the puppy you are looking at if the same picture appears on multiple websites, it might be a scam.  Some scammers are so good that they take a legitimate breeder and steal their name and photos and setup a new page or website like a breeder identify theft.
• Copytext content that has spelling errors and sounds too generic.  Grab some text from the dog breeder website and search for that in google.  Usually, the same text is used for many different dog breeds and it is easy to find sites that are duplicated over and over.
• Weird payment methods. Don’t pay someone with Western Union, Moneygram, Walmart to Walmart or any other type of payment services.  Dog breeders are busy people and if they use any sort of payment it will be something like Zelle, Paypal, Venmo, or something that has some protection policy.
• Prices seem too good to be true to be real.  Research prices for the breed you are interested in.  If someone is advertising a purebred dog for a discounted price, you could be dealing with a fraudulent offer.  For Pembroke Welsh Corgis it depends on the breeder, what sort of testing they are doing, where they live and what else they do in their program.  Genetic testing, vet visits, AKC registration, microchipping, all of this can easily add up to over $500 or even $800 and that doesn’t even include the prices of supplies, momma’s vet care and other expenses.  If a puppy is for sale for under $1500 and someone is asking from $500-$800 it is often a scam or a puppy that hasn’t had their required care.  Please make sure to do a bit of extra research to understand why the price is set so low.  Prices are different per state or region or based on registration.
• A very large down-payment is needed.  Down-payments are needed to reserve your waitlist and spot in line.  This is usually non-refundable and from $100 to maybe a few hundred dollars.  If the down-payment is too high it might be a scam trying to get as much money as possible up front.
• Are there online complaints about the site?  If they have plenty of reports with the Better Business Bureau.  The BBB Scamtracker have 907 reports of this type of fraud with the FTC finding 37K complaints involving pets.  Take the company or site name and just google search it to see if you see people saying that it is a puppy scam.
• Breeder won’t talk on the phone or in a video chat.  Some sites say that you have to see the puppy in person first.  Honesty a lot of breeders are very careful and do not want strangers visiting their homes or kennel before a certain age.  You can call on your phone and ask for a video chat and have the breeder show the current time that you are chatting, show their whelping area and their puppies.  Breeders like to talk and educate possible owners about puppies and their breed of choice.  It is an issue if they will not get on the phone with you.  
• Any red flags that are mentioned in this AKC article about puppy scams.  
• The puppies are ready to go right away.   It is possible that for one reason or another a puppy hasn’t been placed yet by 8 or 10 weeks.  However, many breeders will have a waiting list and people waiting before the litter arrives.  Good breeders want to find out about you and who you are and why you would be a good home.  They generally don’t rush with a puppy to go home right away.  Take your time and do research, don’t be rushed.  
• Lack of photos.  You will generally see multiple photos for puppies and litters.  It might not always be the case depending on the breeder and how good they are with computers but with modern day phones if you ask to see photos of some puppies you would expect to get multiple photos in differnet situations and stages of the puppies growth.