You’ve done your research on the breed, you’ve checked your budget, and you’ve fallen head over heels for the photos of that fluffy Cavoodle online. But before you send any money, stop — you may be one click away from losing thousands of dollars and your heart to a puppy that doesn’t exist.
Online puppy scams have become one of Australia’s most emotionally devastating forms of consumer fraud. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reported that in 2021 alone, Australians lost a staggering $4.2 million to puppy scams — a 1,000 percent increase since 2019. And since then, the scams have only grown more sophisticated.
Here’s everything you need to know to protect yourself — and your wallet.
Why Puppy Scams Are So Effective
Scammers are experts at exploiting emotion. Once you see that irresistible puppy photo, your guard comes down. The ACCC has noted that scammers deliberately target sought-after breeds — particularly Cavoodles, French Bulldogs, and Toy Poodles — because they know buyers are willing to move fast and pay a premium.
The formula is simple: post a fake ad with stolen images of an adorable puppy, offer it at an attractive price, and begin the cycle of requesting upfront payments for deposits, transport, insurance, vet checks, and border crossing fees. Once you’ve paid, the seller vanishes. Individual losses can run up to $25,000.
Making matters worse, scammers are now stealing the identities of legitimate Australian breeders — including their ABNs and business names — to make fake listings look credible. Real breeders have reported discovering dozens of fraudulent bank accounts set up in their name.
Red Flag #1: The Price Looks Too Good to Be True
This remains the oldest trick in the scam playbook, but it still works. If a purebred or designer-breed puppy is listed at a suspiciously low price — especially with language like “quick sale,” “rehoming fee only,” or “free to a good home, just pay shipping” — treat it as a warning sign.
Scammers use low prices to create urgency and pull buyers in quickly before they can think critically. Once you express interest, the costs mysteriously escalate: suddenly there’s a transport crate fee, cross-border quarantine costs, or pet insurance that must be paid upfront.
Rule of thumb: Research the typical market price for the breed you’re after. If an ad is significantly below that, be very cautious.
Red Flag #2: Stolen or Stock Photos
One of the most reliable ways to catch a scammer is through a reverse image search. Scammers routinely steal photos from legitimate breeders’ websites and social media accounts and reuse them across multiple fake listings.
How to do it:
- On desktop: Right-click any puppy photo and select “Search image on Google” (or drag the image to Google Images)
- On mobile: Download a free app like Reversee or use Google Lens
- Use TinEye (tineye.com) for a more thorough cross-platform image check
If the same adorable photo turns up on multiple websites, classifieds, or social media pages — especially with different breeder names or locations — you’re almost certainly looking at a scam.
A more advanced trick: check the photo’s EXIF metadata. Legitimate recent photos from a real breeder will often contain timestamp and GPS data. Photos stripped of all metadata, or dated years in the past, are suspicious.
Red Flag #3: Email-Only Communication
Breeders who are legitimate will want to know who is taking the puppies home from them. They will happily get on the phone or do a video call with you – not because you asked them to, but because they want to check that you are the right owner for the puppies.
If the seller seems to only want to contact you via email or web form, that’s a red flag. Scammers will never seek out voice or video contact with a potential buyer. Be especially wary if:
- The phone number supplied goes to voicemail, is disconnected, or is answered by someone with a foreign accent who can’t answer basic questions about the breed
- They refuse a live FaceTime or video call showing the puppy in real time
- They only communicate through platforms that are easy to fake or disappear quickly
During any video call, ask the seller to do something specific and spontaneous — hold up today’s newspaper, have the puppy interact with a toy on command, or show you around the space. This makes it very hard to pass off pre-recorded or AI-generated footage.
Red Flag #4: The Puppy Is “Overseas” or Being Shipped Interstate
Australia has quarantine laws that make importing dogs from overseas extremely expensive and complex. A seller who tells you the dog is in another country and needs to be shipped to you is almost certainly engaging in a scam.
Another red flag is a seller who tells you that they relocated within Australia and therefore cannot meet in person with you and the dog, but will arrange for transport of the dog once you pay for it. This is a common scam used to explain both why the dog cannot be seen by the buyer and why the costs to the buyer are so high.
The RSPCA is clear on this: no reputable seller will part with an animal without meeting prospective owners first — whether in person or via live video.
Red Flag #5: Requests for Untraceable Payment
This is often the moment that seals the scam. If a seller asks you to pay via:
- Wire transfer or direct bank transfer to an account name that doesn’t match the seller
- Cryptocurrency
- Gift cards (iTunes, Google Play, etc.)
- Osko/PayID instant payments
- PayPal “friends and family” (which has no buyer protection)
…stop all communication immediately. Such methods are virtually impossible to trace.
Legitimate breeders will ask for standard methods of payment and will provide you with receipts. When making payment for the initial deposit, ensure that the payments method can be traced and offers some form of buyer protection.
Red Flag #6: A Brand New Website
Scam websites can look amazingly professional – complete with logos, testimonials, vaccination records and FAQ sections. However, there is one thing they can’t fake: age.
Use a free WHOIS lookup tool to check the website’s domain registration history (simply Google “WHOIS lookup” and enter the website’s URL). If the website was registered in the past few weeks or a few months, be very sceptical of the website. Scammy websites are typically created quickly, used for a few days before being abandoned when the scams are revealed.
Also look for:
- Generic or stock photography throughout the site (not just the puppy photos)
- No physical address that can be verified on Google Maps
- Testimonials that return results when pasted into Google (stolen from other sites)
- American phrases like “potty trained,” “shots,” “the puppies mom,” or references to the AKC (American Kennel Club)
Red Flag #7: Puppies Advertised as Under 8 Weeks Old
This one is both a legal issue and a welfare warning. In most Australian states and territories, it is illegal to sell a puppy under 8 weeks of age. A Four Paws survey found that 26 percent of Australians who bought puppies online received animals that were under 8 weeks old — with 13 percent receiving pups as young as 6 weeks.
Any seller willing to hand over a puppy before 8 weeks is either unethical, operating illegally, or both. This is also a common indicator of puppy farming, where welfare standards are typically very poor.
How Technology Is Helping Verify Legitimate Breeders
Beyond spotting the scams, technology is increasingly helping buyers find breeders they can actually trust.
Breeder verification platforms like Responsible Pet Breeders Australia (RPBA) are using technology to verify and audit the breeders. RPBA includes a Verify Breeder tool on their website, which allows people to enter a breeder’s registration and mobile number. Additionally, all members of the organization must pass an audit of their breeding facility by a veterinarian in person to become a full member.
These digital tools are transforming how Australians are purchasing pets from breeders. Instead of using an advertisement to find a breeder on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, Australians are using these verified directories and digital tools to confirm the legitimacy of a breeder and their breeding facility.
Other useful tech tools include:
- PetAddress.com.au and Central Animal Records (CAR) — to verify a microchip number
- WHOIS lookup tools — to check website registration dates
- Google Lens / Reversee / TinEye — for reverse image searches
- Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) — to search known scam numbers, emails, and websites
- Puppy Scam Awareness Australia (puppyscamawarenessaustralia.com.au) — a dedicated database of known Australian puppy scam websites, updated regularly
What to Do If You Think You’ve Been Scammed
If you’ve already sent money and suspect it was a scam:
- Contact your bank immediately. Some transactions can be reversed or frozen, especially if you act fast.
- Report it to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au. Your report helps protect other Australians.
- Report to the platform where you found the ad (Gumtree, Facebook, etc.) so the listing can be removed.
- Contact Puppy Scam Awareness Australia, who actively work to shut down fraudulent sites and assist victims.
- File a report with the Australian Cyber Security Centre (cyber.gov.au) if you also provided personal information.
The Safest Approach: Meet the Puppy
Despite all the technology available to puppy enthusiasts out there, the single best form of protection from scams exists in the most simple of actions: meet the puppy in person before committing to paying a cent.
A legitimate puppy breeder will happily welcome you into their home and allow you to view the dog. While it may not be geographically possible to do so, a live video call will be offered to accommodate your schedule. Do not rush into buying a dog simply because of an impressive price and picture.
Although Australia’s pet industry has begun to implement better technology and registration for breeders looking to improve the industry, until every breeder is held to account for what they offer and list on their websites, buyers must take on the responsibility of researching and trusting their instincts around the purchase of a puppy.
When you are ready to meet the puppy of your dreams, remember that they will be worth the wait – if they are not, they were never truly worth having in the first place.
