Cat Scam?

[unigeezer]

I've been looking for a new baby since losing my beloved Morty of nearly 17 years. I came upon an ad for what looks like adorable, pure bred Bengal kittens. Owner said they can't keep them and need to adopt them out. I inquired and she replied with a questionnaire about me and my experience with cats. So I thought it sounded legit but then I received this reply (below, quoted in italics) which sent up an immediate red flag. The pics attached were in their original ad and may be legit but more likely stock photos they found online.

I thought they were local since the ad was posted in my local area. What really made me suspicious is the last part (Which I underlined) about them willing to transport the kitten...from Texas to Los Angeles county! My guess is that it's a scam; you pay for shipping and they disappear. The bad grammar also leads me to suspect that they are placing these ads from outside the US:

<<Accept greeting once more from Helena and family
Thank you very much for the kind response back to us and for the love,care and affection you have shown towards these kittens . Actually we are giving these kittens out for adoption because, We expecting our first child and will not be able to take good care of these kittens and our child at the same time,since babies demands for a lot of care and attention. We were hopping to keep these kittens for our child so that he can grow up with pets and get use to them and also because the kittens are very playful and socialized with kids but my sister in law who was to assist me when I give birth to my child had to move out of the country for research work so I am forced to give the kittens out for adoption.No amount of money can buy love and care we have toward these kittens because they are just like my own biological children , so all we want for them is a good home.

I and my husband currently relocated El Paso TX where he work and the kittens are here with us,So If you cannot come and pick him up,We can arrange for him to be transported over to you using a fast and reliable animal transportation company.>>

 

[talkingpeanut]

Yep, looks like a scam for sure. There are tons of fabulous shelters and rescues in LA! Try there for your new buddy.

 

[unigeezer]

Yep, looks like a scam for sure. There are tons of fabulous shelters and rescues in LA! Try there for your new buddy.

Here is my reply to the owner: "I can hire a veterinariaPlease reply with your address so he can come by and see the kittens. Thanks."



Thanks,

Yep, looks like a scam for sure. There are tons of fabulous shelters and rescues in LA! Try there for your new buddy.

I just sent a reply asking for their address so I could have a vet in their area come check them out in person. Will be interesting to see their response, if any!

 

[Kieka]

Reverse image search shows those image originate off a Russian website and are from 2016 .Яркие бенгальские котята

It is a scam. Reverse image searches will save you a lot of time when it comes to scam postings. I will do it with Craigslist ads sometimes just out of curiosity and usually the purebred cat postings are scams.

This website has a listing of bengal breeders in california.
Bengal Cat Breeders In California - Bengal Cat Club

Also there is the So Cal Bengal Rescue group on facebook that helps with Bengal adoptions.

 

[Kieka]

I'd also be curious about who Jason is. That is the name on the images.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would never adopt kittens that I hadn't seen in person from a breeder who isn't even registered. This is a bizarre scam for sure!

 

[unigeezer]

Reverse image search shows those image originate off a Russian website and are from 2016 .Яркие бенгальские котята

It is a scam. Reverse image searches will save you a lot of time when it comes to scam postings. I will do it with Craigslist ads sometimes just out of curiosity and usually the purebred cat postings are scams.

This website has a listing of bengal breeders in california.
Bengal Cat Breeders In California - Bengal Cat Club

Also there is the So Cal Bengal Rescue group on facebook that helps with Bengal adoptions.

Thanks for letting me know and confirming my suspicion. But I've never heard of a "Reverse image search", but will want to use this method in the future. Thanks again.

 

[abyeb]

The Bengal Rescue Network Facebook page says there's a three-year-old in Los Angeles for adoption. I don't know anything about the BRN, though...

 

[Kieka]

It probably is to get you to send transportation money and then something will happen that needs a little extra money. All they have to do is get someone to buy in and send them money. Once they get the money they can try for more with some emergency that comes up and since it will be your kitten can you pay the vet bill then "sad news" the kitten died but the money was already spent to try and save the kitten. Or they just vanish with the money and stop responding to requests for information.

Just save the image and type reverse image search in a google search. It will take you to a page where you upload the image and it will find it.

 

[unigeezer]

Well this is surprising. I got an immediate reply after asking that they send me their home address so I could have a vet go there and check out the kittens. I wouldn't have expected this reply if it was a scam. My intent was to scare them off. I confirmed it as an actual address, but, of course, it may not be their actual address.

<<OK my house address is 7772 Iroquois Drive El Paso, TX 79912>>

 

[talkingpeanut]

I'm not sure why you would want to pursue this regardless. The photos you've seen aren't photos of the cat they have.

 

[unigeezer]

I'm not sure why you would want to pursue this regardless. The photos you've seen aren't photos of the cat they have.

I'm not "pursuing" and will not/would not EVER consider adopting a pet under these or similar circumstances. It wasn't until the last email that they divulged their (supposed) location. I simply wanted to see if they would respond to a request for their home address, assuming that would be the end of it. The "Columbo" in me is driven to expose people like this who try to profit on gullible and trusting individuals. About 15 years ago I set up a cat "sting" on a lady who was selling cats that she claimed were pure bred and were anything but. She was arrested and they found more than 30 sickly and neglected cats in her tiny, dilapidated apartment and her "operation" was shut down. I felt good about that, but terribly sad for the cats she so obviously abused simply for profit.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Are you planning to send the police to that address?

 

[unigeezer]

Are you planning to send the police to that address?

I doubt they would do anything based only on conjecture and supposition. But I might see about contacting a local vet and forward the correspondence from the replies to the ad and let them make the call.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I think the police would take a scam like this one seriously.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Reverse image search shows those image originate off a Russian website and are from 2016 .Яркие бенгальские котята

Yep - the photos were lifted from a Moscow breeder, however, now that Kieka has unearthed that, maybe @Alejandra Rico should have a look, since the website specifically states, "eсть кошечки с правом разведения..." - "these kitties are sold with breeding rights." Holy cow - 25k Rubles is roughly 450€, with no spay/neuter clause in the buyer's contract. I'm no Bengal expert, but except for the single "stripe forward," these Russian Bengals look stunning!

Edit: I'd be very amused to learn that the kittens were, indeed, those in the 2016 advertisement, and that they'd travelled from Russia to California to El Paso. One must admit that, "...accept greeting once more from Helena and family..." does, indeed, sound like the English of a native Russian (or Greek) speaker, and Елена isn't exactly the least uncommon Russian forename.
.

 

[Kieka]

Yay for translation! I guessed it was someone selling kittens on the original from the page but I don't know Russian myself.

I was wondering if it was the kittens a year later or kittens of the original kittens. Either way, the photos can't be accurate if they are advertising a young kitten at this point. The whole posting in California then saying they are now in Texas is also highly suspicious.

 

[DreamerRose]

I would ask them to ship the kittens and, if you accept them, you will reimburse the sellers for the shipping cost. If it's a scam, that might put an end to it. If it isn't, you've got two kittens.