Beware of pet adoption scams online, warns animal rescue group

Looking to adopt a fur baby from another social media user?

If you are told you must pay an advance deposit before you get to see your future pet, steer clear, said Purely Meow, a cat rescue and rehoming collective.

Pet adoption scams are on the rise, Jenny Cheong, head of Purely Meow said.

She said some scammers have made use of Purely Meow’s logo in their social media profiles in a bid to look like an affiliate of the collective.

Scammers always “make use of people’s love for animals to make money and use cute, well-groomed and pure-bred kittens as their selling point”, Cheong said.

They often state that no adoption fees are required in their public notice, but when interested parties contact them through private messages, they would ask for a deposit ranging from S$200 to S$250 (RM700 to RM880), and then disappear with the money.

Cheong was first alerted to such a ruse in November 2023, when she noticed a Facebook user impersonating a woman who had adopted a cat from Purely Meow.

The scammer, who went with the name Della Nor, stole a photo from Purely Meow’s Facebook page, which is watermarked with the collective’s logo.

The scammer also created a group called Singapore Cats For Adoptions, posting listings of kittens and asking for upfront payment from interested parties before providing an address for cat viewing.

At least two users fell prey to this scammer, and they realised they had been duped only after visiting the address, Cheong said.

Purely Meow had lodged a police report on Nov 17, 2023.

The police said they are looking into the matter.

In its Facebook post, Purely Meow warned the public against making payments before viewing their future pets.

Legitimate organisations are upfront about adoption fees, which are used to cover the medical bills for the rescued animals, the collective said. — The Straits Times/ANN