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MEMBERS ONLY

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745 Winding Trail
Holly Lake Ranch
Texas 75755
USA

Tel: (903) 769-2267
Fax: (903) 769-2867
Email:
inquiries@ipata.com


 

Beware of Scams!
 

Just because there is a photo of a cute puppy (or other animal) and a promise to ship it does not mean there is a puppy!  Scammers play on your emotions.  When purchasing an animal from a breeder, broker, or a third party make sure you are dealing with a legitimate company. If they claim they are an IPATA member, look them up in our on-line directory.  Please read the info below about scams before you start sending money! 

The purpose of this notice is to increase the awareness of pet owners; to caution them to do their own research and to ask questions before making any kind of financial commitment on the Internet. 

While there are many legitimate websites offering pets and other animals for sale and animal transportation services, there are also many scams on the Internet and the problem is continuing to grow at an alarming rate.  What used to be "puppy scams" has grown to include birds, monkeys, horses and all other types of animals.

  • Puppies being offered for sale (who don’t even exist) and are to be transported by XYZ company who may or may not exist. If the company does exist, they may not even be aware that their company is listed as the shipping company. The unsuspecting buyer completes the payment for the puppy, then calls XYZ company to find out when their puppy will arrive. Only XYZ company has never even heard of the breeder who sold the puppy. These puppies are being offered at below breeder rates with mysterious pedigrees.

  • If a company says that the pet will be shipped by IPATA (or a derivative) or AATA (Animal Transportation Association - or a derivative), do not believe it! Both IPATA and AATA are "membership" organizations. Neither IPATA nor AATA ship pets. We have members that ship pets but only under their own company names!

  • Companies claiming to be IPATA members who are not members, nor have they ever been! If you wish to know if a company is really an IPATA member, click on FIND A PET SHIPPER and "search" our database by company name.
    Do not be misled by those who claim to be charitable or religious organizations, pastors or sisters who will give you a puppy if you'll just pay for the shipping and handling.

  • Fraudulent websites that were blatantly copied from legitimate websites, irrespective of any copyrights or trademark protection.
    Ads being put in local papers so it appears that you are buying a puppy (or a bird) locally and ads being posted on legitimate websites.

  • Buyers being given booking information confirming that their new puppy is being shipped on ABC airline. The booking information may be fraudulent and, even if it’s authentic, a “booking” doesn’t necessarily mean that they are actually shipping a puppy. Often the airline in question doesn’t even fly to that country!

  • Buyers wanting to send a cashier’s check for more money than is required so you can make a payment to their shipping agent for transport of the pet. You deposit the cashier’s check and send the overpayment to the shipping agent only to find out from your bank later that the cashier’s check was bogus and you are held liable for repayment of the full amount.

  • Puppies being purposed from Cameroon or Nigeria (or other countries) who are already being shipped to the new owner who then gets an email saying that the veterinary officials in a third country need additional money before the puppy can continue being shipped. This does not happen in the real world. A veterinary official in a country that the pet is being shipped through does NOT confiscate a shipment and hold it until money is paid.

  • Many of the scams involve the toy breeds, usually requires that money be sent urgently by Western Union to avoid euthanasia of the pet, and often the pets are located in Nigeria, Cameroon or Benin though we are seeing more and more scams surfacing in what used to be considered fairly “safe” countries (i.e., the U.K., Texas, etc.)   Often members of the clergy or relief / rescue workers are offering a pet because they can't keep it, begging for a good home before the puppy is euthanized.

  • Often the scammer offers to:

    (1) ship within 24 hours of payment (which is impossible due to the time required to obtain import license and veterinary health certificates)

    (2) ship from an international location to your doorstep for $250 or $350 (generally it costs more to ship a puppy internationally than it does for your plane ticket between two international locations plus you would need to purchase a travel kennel.  You can NEVER expect to pay only $250-$350 for an international shipment.)

There are too many variations to list on this website and too many fraudulent websites to list all of them.   But some of the below websites will give you additional information about scams:

http://www.petsonthenet.co.nz/scam
 http://www.qualitydogs.com/scams.asp
 http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/dogs/forum/6430.aspx
 http://www.terrificpets.com/scams/ (listed scammers email addresses) 
http//www.fraudwatchers.org

 

 

Pets Being
Shipped by IPATA


IPATA is a membership organization whose "members" ship pets but under their own company names. 

 

IPATA DOES NOT SHIP
ANY ANIMALS!  

 

Buyers are being told that a puppy is being shipped by IPATA (or some company name with IPATA in it) and IPATA's Admin Office then gets a phone call wanting to know when the puppy will arrive. 

 

There is no puppy!

 

These email addresses are in no way related to IPATA and are another scam that is very active. 

 


Claims of
Membership in IPATA


If a website or email has an IPATA logo on it, you can verify IPATA membership by going to http://www.ipata.com/page.php?rp=17 and checking to see if the company name is listed. 

 

If the name is NOT listed,
THEY ARE NOT
A MEMBER OF IPATA!

 

 

Checks Issued
by IPATA


If you have received a check issued by IPATA, this is a fraudulent check!  IPATA does not issue paper checks.  Please take the check into your local branch of JP Morgan Chase and give it to the branch manager, indicating that it is a fraudulent check.  They will turn it into their Fraud Department who will investigate it.  If you are not near a Chase Bank branch, please mail the check to:

745 Winding Trail
Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765
with a note containing your complete contact details and we will turn it into the bank for you.

 

If It Sounds
Too Good
to be True,

It Probably Is!
   

 

WHERE TO REPORT INTERNET SCAMS:

The following websites will give you a place to report fraud:

  1. You can lodge a complaint with www.ic3.gov. They work with the FBI and 2 other agencies to combat internet crime.  On the IC3 website you will find a form for reporting crimes. Their mission is, "to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. The IC3 gives the victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the federal, state, local and international level, IC3 provides a central referral mechanism for complaints involving Internet related crimes.

  2. http://www.crimes----of-persuasion.com/Victims/reporting.htm

  3. http://www.petsonthenet.co.nz/scamm

  4. http://www.qualitydogs.com/scams.asp

  5. http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/dogs/forum/6430.aspx

  6. http://www.terrificpets.com/scams/ (listed scammers email addresses)

  7. http//www.fraudwatchers.org   You can use this List of Handy Links from Fraudwatchers.org.

  8. It wouldn't hurt to also file a complaint with the scammer's Embassy in your country. But make sure that you file it with the "right" country's embassy!  Just because a scammer says they are located in the UK, does not mean they are!  Often they will say they are located in one country but give you a phone number in another.  If they give you a phone number, check the first 2 or 3 numbers of the phone number (which should include the international country code) against http://www.countrycallingcodes.com/Reverse-Lookup.php to confirm that the country where the phone number is located.  Then, go to http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/directory.htm and look up the embassy locations for that country.

    9.

 

TIPS THAT MAY HELP BUYERS weed out the dishonest seller when purchasing animals from an unknown source.  The term animals can apply to puppies, kittens, birds, monkeys, horses or any other type of animal.  Because we are an association involved with pets, below we may often use the term "pet" but please understand that scammers are involved with ALL types of animals in ALL countries! 

  1. When purchasing an animal from a breeder, broker, or a third party, the buyer should have a firm and binding contract with the seller, including the method of transportation, the time frame of the air transport, the airline of carriage, as well as a copy of the health certificate.  For travel involving the USA, exact travel times and routings may only be revealed after travel is in process, by ruling of the TSA.

  2. Check out their references:

    • Ask for references from other buyers in your state or country; then contact them.

    • Ask for names and phone number for shippers they have used in the past.  If they indicate that a specific company will handle the shipping, get complete details for the shipping company and then telephone them - even if it's an international long distance call - to confirm that the shipping company even "knows" the breeder.   And do this BEFORE you send any money!

    • If their website indicates that they are a member of IPATA, please look up their company name on our website.  There are several companies whose websites claim to be a member of IPATA but they are not members nor have they ever been.  If you cannot find the company listed, then send an email to admin@ipata.com and we will confirm whether they are a member or not. 

  3. If you only have an email address for a company, request their web address before forwarding any money.  Email addresses are very easy to change and frequently used by scammers since they are often untraceable.  Nearly all reputable breeders will have a website.  If you only have an email address, be very cautious!   

  4. Analyze their website:

    • Look for inconsistencies, poor grammar and misspelled words on the website.  For example, we found one website who lists a Seattle, Washington telephone prefix (206-XXX-XXXX) and a phone number in Cameroon yet says that it services the Washington D.C. area airports (IAD, DCA & BWI).  It says they are licensed by the USDAT (There is no USDAT; it’s USDA) and that they are owned and operated by a “USDAT” accredited veterinarian.  They are a member of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association, yet they aren’t located in Texas and we aren’t even sure if they are located in the USA. 
    • It seems that more and more scammers are now copying legitimate IPATA websites, including IPATA logos, member logos and of course much of the wording and even the testimonials.  If their website indicates that they are a member of IPATA, please look up their company name on our website.  There are several companies whose websites claim to be a member of IPATA but they are not members nor have they ever been.  If you cannot find the company listed, then send an email to petscams@ipata.com and we will confirm whether they are a member or not. 
    • Look for misspelled words in their email address.  i.e., ipatashiiping_agent@yahoo.com or pettranspoter@kittymail.com
    • Watch for phone numbers that start with +237 (or 00237) or +234 (or 00234). as "237" is the country code for Cameroon and "234" is the country code for Nigeria both of which are notorious for scams.  However, scams can also originate from other countries (such as Cyprus or Benin or even the UK and USA).  Often scammers will give you a phone number in their country but say they are located in a different one (or they service airports in a different country).  To look up a country code to see what country it is, go to http://www.countrycallingcodes.com/Reverse-Lookup.php
    • Make sure that the seller has given you a telephone number.  Then call it to make sure that a real person answers on the other end, even if it's a long distance international call.
    • If a company name is referenced in their email or website, do a Google search to research the company name.  If you find the company's website, confirm that the person you are dealing with is part of this company.  Scammers are now copying mastheads off of other company websites and including it in their emails so it looks like a legitimate company - but it isn't. 
    • If the company has any licensing information listed on their website, independently verify it to ensure that it is valid.  If you cannot find out who to contact to verify the licensing information, ask the company directly for a phone number for verification purposes. 
    • In the USA, USDA requires licensing or registration of any company that is a breeder, a dealer, a transporter, a carrier (such as an airline) or is an intermediate handler (i.e., receives animals from one party to deliver to another – such as an airline).  However, not all who are involved in these activities are licensed or registered with USDA even though it is, technically, a requirement.  If you wish to look up a company to see if they are registered or licensed with USDA: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/publications.html then click on “Facility Lists” toward the bottom of the page.  (Note:  Often a company may be registered under a different name than you may be familiar with such as a corporation operating under a DBA.  You may need to match up a company by their address or other information.  If you can’t find a company listed, ask the company for their USDA license number which can, then, be verified on-line.)  Note:  ONLY USA companies can be registered with USDA!

  5. Ask for the registration of the breed and what association the seller is a member of.

  6. Ask for a picture of the pet and a printed pedigree back 3 generations or more.

  7. Do not send funds by Western Union as these funds can be picked up by anyone who knows the correct password.  Any reputable dealer will request that you wire transfer funds to their company bank account or will accept a credit card or PayPal payment.  (PayPal and credit card payments give you the most protection as you can dispute the charges and obtain reimbursement for at least a portion of the payment.)   Then, keep some payment back for final vet inspection upon arrival.