How to Avoid Holiday Pet Scams on Social Media
Learn the warning signs, verification steps, and payment rules that help holiday shoppers avoid fake pet listings.
Avoid holiday pet scams on social media by verifying the seller and the animal through live contact before you send any money. A pet-purchase scam is a fake listing that collects payment for a pet that does not exist or is not the animal pictured. Holiday months bring hundreds of additional scam reports, with December and January producing the highest volume since 2022, according to the Better Business Bureau 2025 puppy scams study update.
More than half of pet scams start on a website found through search or social media, based on Bureau Scam Tracker data.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 03, 2026.
Why do holiday pet scams cost shoppers more?
The Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker logged 2,278 pet-scam reports in 2024 with a $680 median loss 2025 puppy scams study update. Through September 2025, it logged 1,632 reports with a $600 median loss. For a savings reader, that loss often means the holiday gift budget is gone with no pet to bring home.
Reported totals undercount victims. A study using FTC data found only 4.8% of mass-market fraud victims report to the Bureau or a government agency, according to the Bureau. Holiday urgency makes that gap costly because shoppers may skip checks to secure a pet by a holiday date.
What do fake holiday listings look like?
Fake listings often use French bulldogs, dachshunds, and German shepherds as bait, according to the Better Business Bureau. Scammers reuse stolen or stock photos and copied ad text across fake sites. Search distinctive phrases from the listing and reverse-image-search the puppy photos, as the American Kennel Club advises.
Holiday ads add pressure with claims of few puppies left or transport deadlines. Pause when photos look polished but details stay vague.
- same photo appears under different seller names or cities
- ad text appears word-for-word on unrelated sites
- seller cannot describe where the pet was born or what care it received
How can you verify the seller and the pet?
Email-only sellers who avoid phone calls are a red flag, according to the American Kennel Club. Reputable breeders communicate by phone, video chat, or in person before selling a puppy, the Club notes. New York State consumer protection officials advise insisting on meeting the seller in person or by live video.
Use that contact to verify where the pet was born and confirm the animal matches the photos. Do not pay for an animal you have not seen alive on video or in person.
- call the seller, then request a live video with the pet
- ask where the pet was born and what vet care it received
- compare markings, age, and setting with the listing photos
Which payment requests mean you should stop?
The Federal Trade Commission warns that only scammers demand gift cards, payment apps, cryptocurrency, or wire services like Western Union or MoneyGram Getting a pet? Avoid scams alert. Those payments are hard to reverse once sent.
A request to switch to one of these methods is reason to stop. Keep messages, receipts, and the listing link if you already sent money. Contact your bank or payment provider quickly and report the listing to the social platform.
Pause the purchase and keep your funds until live verification checks out.