It is a shame that one must add a page such as this, but we feel it is our responsibility to keep buyers informed on this topic. We want YOU to be educated and know how to protect yourself from these criminals!
On one hand the Internet is wonderful because you could find a super awesome, healthy, well bred English Bulldog puppy that you could never have found across the street. BUT PLEASE be aware that there are lots of scams on the Internet! Please find below 3 sections of information designed to help you protect yourself from these heartless thieves.
HOW THE FRAUD TAKES PLACE:
What happens is that scam artists will steal English Bulldog puppy pictures and post them on the Internet via online puppy classified ad web sites. Recently, puppy scammers have started stealing the identity, text, information and even copying entire web sites of reputable breeders. They post ads or create scam web sites full of stolen puppy pictures. The puppy they describe in the ad only exists in the item description, when the seller actually does not have the Bulldog puppy that they are trying sell at all! Often the puppies pictured are listed with fictitious names, gender, age and are normally already grown and living with their new family. The "Seller" (scammer) will then ask for money (usually to be paid through Western Union or Money Graham) then refers the buyer to the shipping company who is supposed to send the Bulldog puppy to the buyer. Of course, the puppy never comes. The buyer calls the "seller" (with no answer) so buyer decides to call the shipping company with the reference number for the Bulldog puppy. Shipping company replies that they don't have anything related to this reference number or it is not for your puppy. Sadly the excited family is heart broken and loses all the money they have saved. Again, PLEASE DON'T SEND ANYONE MONEY WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW PERSONALLY!
We repeatedly receive calls and e-mails from wonderful people who have purchased what they thought was going to a beautiful English Bulldog puppy. Scammers have stolen our and other breeders pictures to trick people into sending money. Later after these families were robbed of their money some of them have contacted us looking for a puppy. The longer we are in the business the more people we come across that have been scammed and were left high and dry.
Scammers will steal the identy of reputable bulldog breeders or claim to have a bulldog for a "Cheaper than the rest price" BEWARE, Cheaper is not always better.
Unfortunately, many uneducated puppy buyers are willing to go through the entire purchase process via e-mail only. Please be aware that our contact information is ONLY AS FOLLOWS:
Email: melanie@ourheart2yoursbulldogs.com (or) Oh2ybulldogs@gmail.com
Phone Numbers: 417-425-7625 or 417-453-6471
These are safe and secure ways to contact us and insure that you are not being scammed by someone pretending to be Our Heart 2 Yours Bulldogs.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
* MONEY! I takes A LOT of Time, Love & EXPENSE to breed good English
Bulldogs! So if the price sounds to good to be true for that cute Bulldog
puppy, it almost always is! That is the #1 way they get people!
* CHEAP PRICE/SHIPPING INCLUDED & LIMITED PICTURES
* WANTING MONEY SENT ASAP VIA WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM
ONLY!
* WANTING A DEPOSIT OF HALF THE MONEY ASAP WESTERN UNION
OR MONEY GRAM!
* THE SELLER/SCAM ARTIST CLAIMING TO BE CHRISTIAN, LOVE GOD,
THEY ARE A REVEREND or that they do missionary/minister work in
West Africa.
* ANY STATEMENT ABOUT JETMA SHIPPING COMPANY, AFRICA, WEST
AFRICA OR NIGERIA! (SOME OF THESE ARE ADVERTISING ON
PUPPYFIND.COM & GIVING A USA STATE/ADDRESS).Get a phone #
and call & get to know a breeder before you buy.
* SAYING THEY CAN'T TALK ON THE PHONE (OR VERY POOR ENGLISH ON
THE PHONE). SOME SAY IT IS BECAUSE THEY GOT IN A BIKE OR
OTHER ACCIDENT- THEY ARE NOW DEAF AND NEED A DEAF
TRANSLATOR, OR THE PARTY ISN'T HOME EVERYTIME
YOU CALL.)
* MOST OF THEM DON'T HAVE A WEB PAGE OF THEIR OWN, THEY SELL
PUPPIES USING ADDS ON PUPPY CLASSIFIED WEB PAGES OR THEY
MAY HAVE A SMALL, FREE WEBSITE. A LOT OF THEM USE FREE
E-MAILS LIKE HOTMAIL & YAHOO.
* THEY SAY THEY WILL SHIP THE ENGLISH BULLDOG PUPPY
IMMEDIATELY TO YOUR CLOSEST AIRPORT, WITH IN A FEW HRS OR
WITHIN A DAY....If you have done your homework you know during
warmer months if the temperature is not cooperating .....THIS IS
IMPOSSIBLE-especially if comming from overseas.
* THEY WILL BE TRICKY AND TRY TO GAIN YOUR TRUST BY GIVING YOU
PHONY PHONE NUMBERS, PHONY REFERENCES ETC... ONE LADY
WHO WAS SCAMMED TOLD ME THE SCAMMER EVEN SENT HER A
PUPPY CARE PACKAGE, A CLIENT OF THE LAST LITTER SAID SHE
WENT TO THE AIRPORT AND HER PUPPY NEVER ARRIVED...LATER
GETTING A CALL THAT THEY HAD BEEN IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT ON
THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT & NEEDED MORE MONEY TO SHIP HER
PUPPY!
* RECENTLY MANY OF THESE SCAMMERS HAVE BECOME MORE
PROFESSIONAL AT COMMITTING THESE SCAMS (most of which are
operating outside the US and the FBI has no jurisdiction to
prosecute). IN DOING SO, MANY THROW UP THEIR OWN WEB SITES
FULL OF STOLEN PICTURES & EVEN STOLEN TEXT. WE EVEN KNOW
BREEDERS WHOM HAVE HAD SCAMMERS STEAL THEIR IDENTITIES
AND COPY THEIR ENTIRE WEBSITE!!!!! SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL.
AGAIN DO NOT SEND MONEY BY MONEY GRAM OR
WESTERN UNION. TALK TO THE SO CALLED BREEDER & TALK TO
THEIR REFERENCES. MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR HOMEWORK SO AS
TO MAKE A SAFE, INFORMED DECISION ON WHO YOU PURCHASE
YOUR PUPPY FROM!
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF:
BE SMART!
* DON'T SEND ANYONE MONEY WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM
THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW PERSONALLY! Please keep in mind that
most of the scam artists are accepting payments via Western Union.
Responsible breeders and companies should be able to accept a bank
wire. Any one that is valid must have a bank account that is filed. When
you send a Bank wire it must go throw the Federal Reserve (Making it
safe, legit & completely traceable)! If you are sending money via PayPal
make sure the account is legit and has been "varified" before sending
money.
* DO NOT BUY AN BULLDOG PUPPY FROM ANYONE WHO YOU CAN'T
TALK TO PERSONALLY AND BECOME FRIENDS WITH! Always call and talk
even if breifly to the person you are planning to purchase from, this will not only help you to build a bond with your puppy's breeder but will give both parties a opportunity to get to know one another before you make a decision and send $$!
* DO NOT BUY AN ENGLISH BULLDOG FROM ANY ONE WHO CAN NOT GIVE YOU SEVERAL LEGITIMATE PERSONAL REFERENCES!
* ASK FOR THE CONTACT INFO FOR THE VETERINARIAN WHO RECENTLY EXAMINED THE ENGLISH BULLDOG PUPPY! IF THEY ARE SELLING YOU A TRULY HEALTHY BULLDOG PUPPY, IT MUST HAVE BEEN EXAMINED BY A LICENSED VETERINARIAN, AND THERE IS NO VALID REASON THAT THIS INFO SHOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE TO YOU! (IF NOT, THEY PROBABLY DO NOT HAVE THE BULLDOG PUPPY AT ALL & EVEN IF THEY DID WOULD YOU REALLY WANT IT?)
* Any reputable breeder should have a successful track record with references to prove it. When Speaking to them in reguards to your puppy of intrest, ask references that you can contact.
*Research the seller on Google, unfortunately, sometimes even legit breeders are not the most honest of people and if there have been multiple problems reported in purchases from them.......You would be wise to continue looking elsewhere to avoid being another unhappy buyer.
