Furry friend fraud: Online scams selling pets that don’t exist spiked in 2021 – here’s how to check an advert is genuine and avoid becoming a victim
- Pet selling scams were up 39% last year amid pandemic puppy boom
- Animal lovers who fall for fake online adverts lose £1,400 on average
- Scams involving dogs are the most prevalent, but cats and even horses are used
- Owners urged to be wary of pets sold on social media and classified sites
Those wanting to buy a dog or cat online are urged to be on the lookout for scammers, after a spike in pet purchase fraud.
The number of scams involving the sale of pets rose by 39 per cent between 2020 and 2021, according to data from Nationwide.
During the last six months of 2021, the average amount lost to reported scams involving pets was around £1,400.
It comes at a time when pet ownership has rocketed due to lockdown and changing work habits.
Two thirds of all pet scams involved dogs, according to Nationwide’s research
During the first 12 months of the pandemic alone, a total of 3.2 million households in the UK purchased a pet, according to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association.
Nearly three in ten Britons admitted they had been the victim of a pet scam, or knew someone who had.
The incidence was even…
