How to Avoid a Puppy Scam: Verify the Breeder, Not Just Their Website or Social Media
A professional website, an active social media account, beautiful puppy photos or even convincing breeder information does not automatically prove that the person behind the account is genuine.
Scammers can copy legitimate breeders’ websites, photographs, social media profiles, certificates and identifying information. That’s why smart puppy buyers don’t simply look for signs that a breeder looks legitimate — they independently verify who they are.
Buying a puppy is an emotional decision. You see the face, fall in love with the puppy, imagine bringing them home — and suddenly you want to secure them before someone else does.
That is exactly why puppy scams work.
A convincing website, beautiful puppy photographs, professional-looking documents and even apparently genuine breeder information can create a sense of trust. But looking legitimate is not the same as being legitimate.
The safest approach is not simply learning what a scammer looks like.
It is learning how to independently verify a breeder before money changes hands.
The uncomfortable truth: scammers can look legitimate
One of the biggest mistakes puppy buyers make is assuming that a professional-looking website means the breeder behind it is genuine.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t.
Australian authorities and consumer organisations have warned that scammers can create convincing websites, fake social-media profiles and advertisements using information that appears legitimate.
NSW Government specifically warns buyers that scam websites can look convincing and recommends meeting the breeder and puppy in person wherever possible.
ABC has also reported cases where scammers copied photographs, breeder certificates, breeder identification numbers and other information from legitimate breeders to create apparently genuine advertisements and websites.
This creates an important rule:
Evidence supplied by the seller is not necessarily independent evidence.
A photograph can be stolen.
A testimonial can be copied.
A registration number can belong to somebody else.
A certificate can be genuine but have nothing to do with the person selling you the puppy.
Even a real breeder’s identity can potentially be misused.
So don’t just ask:
“Does this breeder look legitimate?”
Ask:
“What can I independently verify?”
1. Verify the breeder — not just their website
Start with the person or business behind the advertisement.
Look for consistent information across their website, social media and other public profiles.
Does the name remain consistent?
Does the location make sense?
Is the breeder’s history consistent over time?
Do their dogs and previous litters appear consistently rather than suddenly appearing when puppies are advertised?
Do their contact details remain consistent?
A scammer may be able to create a website overnight.
A genuine breeder should have a history that makes sense.
Scamwatch recommends checking the seller’s details, searching for independent information and checking whether the business or physical location actually exists.
2. Verify registration independently
If a breeder provides a registration, breeder identification number or membership with an organisation, don’t automatically treat the number as proof that the seller is genuine.
Go directly to the relevant organisation and verify it yourself.
Do not simply click a link supplied by the seller and assume that whatever appears confirms their identity.
For NSW buyers, breeder identification numbers can be checked through the NSW Pet Registry. NSW Government states that dog breeders must have a breeder identification number and that puppies advertised in NSW must include the required identification information.
The principle applies more broadly:
Verify the information through the organisation that issued it.
A number is only useful if you know who it belongs to and whether it is current.
3. Meet the breeder and the puppy
This remains one of the strongest protections available to a puppy buyer.
Where practical, visit the breeder and see:
- the puppy
- the mother
- the environment where the puppies are raised
- the breeder
- the conditions in which the dogs live
NSW Government recommends buying or adopting only where you can meet the pet in person and advises buyers to be cautious if a breeder refuses a visit or wants to meet somewhere unrelated to where the puppy was raised.
A responsible breeder should generally be comfortable discussing how the puppies are raised and answering reasonable questions about their care.
NSW Government’s responsible-breeder guidance also recommends asking to see the mother and litter and says a video chat can be an alternative when an in-person visit isn’t possible.
4. If you cannot visit, use live video — not just photographs
A photograph proves very little.
A live video interaction can provide considerably more information.
Ask to see the puppy live, preferably with the breeder interacting with the puppy.
You want to establish that:
- the puppy actually exists
- the puppy is currently in the breeder’s possession
- the breeder can interact with the puppy in real time
- the puppy’s environment is consistent with what you’ve been told
- the breeder can answer questions naturally rather than simply sending prepared material
Scamwatch specifically recommends requesting to see a pet during a video call when buying online.
But remember:
A video call is another layer of verification — not absolute proof by itself.
A sophisticated scammer can still present convincing material.
That is why multiple independent checks matter.
5. Don’t rely on photographs alone
Puppy photographs are among the easiest things for scammers to misuse.
A legitimate breeder’s puppy photographs can be copied and reused in completely unrelated advertisements.
ABC has documented cases where scammers took photographs from legitimate breeders’ websites and used them to advertise puppies that did not exist.
That is why a reverse-image search can be useful.
If you find the exact puppy photograph on another breeder’s website, an old advertisement or multiple unrelated pages, stop and investigate.
But there is an important limitation:
A clean reverse-image search does not prove the photograph is genuine.
It only means you haven’t found the image elsewhere.
Use it as one part of your investigation — not as your entire investigation.
6. Look beyond the seller’s own reviews
Testimonials displayed on a breeder’s own website are controlled by the breeder.
That doesn’t automatically make them fake.
But they are not the same as independent reviews.
Look for information outside the seller’s website.
Search the breeder’s:
- name
- business name
- phone number
- email address
- website
- social-media username
Also search distinctive wording from their advertisements.
Scamwatch recommends searching the exact wording used in an advertisement and checking independent reviews and seller history.
The goal isn’t to find a breeder with absolutely no negative comments.
The goal is to determine whether the overall history makes sense.
7. Be cautious when the price is dramatically different
Price alone does not prove that something is a scam.
Different breeders can legitimately charge very different prices based on breeding programmes, pedigree, health testing, bloodlines, location, puppy quality and other factors.
However, an unusually low price should make you slow down.
Scamwatch identifies prices that are significantly lower than expected as a warning sign in pet scams.
The important question isn’t:
“Is this puppy cheap?”
It is:
“Why is this puppy priced so differently, and can I independently verify the explanation?”
8. Be very careful with pressure
One of the most dangerous moments in a puppy purchase is when emotion starts replacing investigation.
You may hear:
- “Someone else is about to pay.”
- “You need to send the deposit today.”
- “There are three other people interested.”
- “If you don’t pay now, the puppy goes to someone else.”
Sometimes genuine breeders do have multiple enquiries.
That doesn’t mean every breeder who gives a deadline is a scam.
But pressure should never prevent you from performing reasonable verification.
NSW Government advises buyers to walk away if they feel pressured or there are gaps in the information provided.
A puppy is a major emotional and financial commitment.
If someone won’t allow you reasonable time to verify who they are, that is information in itself.
9. Verify where your money is going
Before paying a deposit or balance, make sure you know:
Who are you paying?
The name receiving the payment should make sense in relation to the person or business you believe you are dealing with.
Scamwatch specifically advises buyers using bank transfer or PayID to check that the account name matches the person or business they believe they are paying.
Be cautious if you’re suddenly told to send money to:
- a completely unrelated individual
- multiple different accounts
- an unexpected third party
- an account that doesn’t match the seller’s identity
And never allow urgency to override basic financial checks.
10. Documents are evidence — not automatic proof
Pedigrees, vaccination records, health certificates, breeder numbers and other documents can be useful.
But don’t confuse having a document with proving that the document belongs to the seller or puppy.
Ask yourself:
Who issued this document?
Can the issuing organisation verify it?
Does the information match the breeder, puppy and parents?
Does the microchip information correspond with the animal?
Can important information be independently confirmed?
NSW Government recommends buyers verify microchip information and breeder identification information before completing a purchase.
11. Use a verification mindset, not a checklist mindset
This is perhaps the most important lesson.
Scammers learn.
If everyone is told:
“A legitimate breeder has a website, reviews, registration and certificates.”
A scammer can simply attempt to create those things.
That’s why buyers shouldn’t rely on a simple checklist of things a breeder shows them.
Instead, use layers of independent verification.
Layer 1 — Identity
Who is the person behind the sale?
Layer 2 — History
Does the breeder have a genuine, consistent history?
Layer 3 — The puppy
Does the puppy actually exist and can you see it?
Layer 4 — The parents
Can you verify the puppy’s parents and their relationship to the litter?
Layer 5 — Registration
Can relevant registration information be independently confirmed?
Layer 6 — Documents
Can important documentation be verified through its source?
Layer 7 — Transaction
Does the payment recipient match the person or business you’re dealing with?
Layer 8 — Physical reality
Can you visit the breeder and see the puppy and its environment?
The more independent layers you verify, the harder it becomes for a scammer to successfully impersonate a genuine breeder.
What The Bully Academy Will NOT do
There is an important reason responsible scam-awareness education should be careful about what it publishes.
Teaching buyers how to recognise warning signs is valuable.
Publishing a detailed instruction manual explaining exactly how scammers bypass every security measure is not.
For that reason, our goal is not to publish a playbook for scammers.
We won’t provide step-by-step instructions for defeating verification systems, creating convincing fake documentation, manipulating buyers or exploiting specific weaknesses.
Instead, we focus on what buyers can do to protect themselves:
Stop. Verify. Investigate. Then decide.
The golden rule: don’t verify only what the seller gives you
This is the principle we want every puppy buyer to remember.
A scammer can give you a photograph.
A scammer can give you a website.
A scammer can give you a certificate.
A scammer can give you a registration number.
A scammer can give you testimonials.
The question is whether you can independently verify the information.
That difference can be enormous.
Don’t just ask a breeder to prove who they are. Verify it yourself.
Before You Pay: The Puppy Buyer Test
Before sending a deposit, ask yourself:
☐ Have I independently verified who the breeder is?
☐ Have I checked relevant breeder identification or registration information?
☐ Have I seen the puppy in person, or at minimum through a genuine live video interaction?
☐ Have I seen or otherwise verified the puppy’s mother?
☐ Have I investigated the breeder outside their own website and social media?
☐ Have I checked photographs for possible duplication elsewhere?
☐ Have I independently verified important documentation?
☐ Does the payment recipient match the person or business I’m dealing with?
☐ Have I received clear written information about the purchase and payment?
☐ Am I being pressured to pay before I have completed my checks?
If several answers are no, slow down.
You don’t have to prove that someone is a scammer before walking away.
You only need enough unanswered questions to decide that you’re not comfortable sending the money.
Final Thought
Buying a puppy should be exciting — not a race against the clock.
Don’t allow a beautiful puppy photograph, a convincing website or the fear of missing out to make the decision for you.
Take the emotion out of the transaction long enough to investigate the person behind the puppy.
Because the safest buyer isn’t the person who can identify every scam.
It’s the person who knows how to verify what they’re being told.
Australian Resources & Further Reading
Scamwatch — Buying and Selling Scams
Scamwatch provides Australian Government guidance on identifying and avoiding buying and selling scams, including specific advice for pet purchases.
NSW Government — Buying a Pet
Information for NSW consumers on breeder verification, meeting the animal, living conditions and avoiding online pet scams.
NSW Pet Registry — Find a Responsible Breeder
NSW Government guidance on breeder identification numbers, microchips, visiting the mother and litter, and researching breeders.
Service NSW — Report a Pet Scam
Information on recognising pet scams, protecting yourself before paying and reporting suspected scams.
ABC News — Puppy scams are on the rise
ABC’s reporting on scammers copying legitimate breeders’ photographs, certificates, breeder identification numbers and other information.
Scamwatch — Pause to Avoid a Puppy Scam
Australian Government advice on puppy scams, including fake advertisements, upfront payments and non-existent puppies.
A scammer can copy a website. A scammer can copy a social media page. A scammer can copy photographs. What they cannot easily copy is a breeder whose identity, dogs, history, registration and information can all be independently verified.
Australian Resources & Further Reading
- Scamwatch — Buying and Selling Scams — Official Australian guidance on pet scams, including checking the pet in person, video calls and verifying the breeder.
- Scamwatch — Website Scams — Useful for explaining why a professional-looking website, reviews or online presence does not automatically prove legitimacy.
- NSW Government — Find a Responsible Breeder — Particularly important for NSW buyers. Covers breeder identification numbers, microchip verification, visiting the mother and litter, and responsible-breeder checks.
- Service NSW — Report a Pet Scam — Official NSW information on recognising and reporting pet scams, including reverse-image searching and warning signs around payment and meeting locations.
- Service NSW — Report Identity Theft, Scams or Cybercrime — Explains where Australians should report scams depending on where they originated.
- ABC News — Puppy scams are on the rise: How do you know if a breeder is dodgy? — Useful independent Australian reporting on scammers copying legitimate breeders’ photographs, certificates, breeder identification numbers and other details.
- Scamwatch — Don’t fall for a scammer’s puppy dog eyes — ACCC/Scamwatch guidance specifically addressing puppy scams and emotional manipulation.
Our Puppy Safety Resources:
🐾 Puppy Buying Safety Guide
Learn what to look for when researching breeders, what questions to ask, and how to make an informed decision before welcoming a new puppy into your family.
🚩 How to Spot Puppy Scams Online
Understand common scam tactics, red flags to watch for, and steps you can take to protect yourself when searching for a puppy online.
🔎 How to Avoid a Puppy Scam: Verify the Breeder, Not Just Their Website or Social Media
A professional website or active social media page doesn’t automatically mean you’re dealing with a genuine breeder. Learn how to independently verify a breeder, their identity, registration, puppy, documentation and other important information before sending a deposit.