How To Tell If An Animal Rescue Is Legitimate

Every manufacture has its share of scammers, and the pet industry is certainly no exception. While pet-related scams have been coming and going for decades, they've really ramped upwardly over the terminal year.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, at that place has been a meaning increase in the number of pet-related scams involving fake dog breeders, promising commitment of a cute puppy (sight unseen except for a pic or two stolen from the internet) if payment is made via due east-transfer, only to consequence in disappointment and frustration past the individual taken advantage of.

Recently, scammers accept been taking it a step further past creating fake dog rescues and request for donations. They use emotionally-charged sob stories of struggling rescues, animals needing urgent veterinarian intendance, and claiming they cannot take any form of back up just coin due to a number of circumstances.

In this digital twenty-four hour period and historic period, it is easier than ever for scammers to attain an infinite number of people over the internet. It is important to educate ourselves on these constantly evolving pet-scamming 'red flags' so we don't get victims ourselves.

How To Spot a Faux Animal Rescue

Generic Name

Nearly scammers aren't very creative. They'll often give their phony rescue a generic-sounding name like 'The Pet Rescue' or 'Dog Rescue Squad'. While at that place are many legitimate animal rescues that have generic-sounding names, this is usually your first clue that a pet rescue may be a faux.

No Website

Due to express resources, not all legitimate creature rescues accept websites. Nevertheless, many don't demand websites considering they have active social media platforms, like a folio on Facebook or Instagram.

If an beast rescue has a generic name every bit well as no website or social media presence, there's an even higher adventure it's a scam.

Limited Contact Information

Most real rescues will accept, at a minimum, an electronic mail accost and a phone number. However, scammers don't desire to be bothered with phone calls, and volition sometimes not fifty-fifty take an email address. Many scammers use e-transfers as a way to scam donors, just the email accost will not match the rescue. Many scammers volition opt to talk only through Facebook Messenger under a phony contour.

Social Media Engagement

For the scammers that utilize social media, they will oft ready a Facebook folio with a few vague, blurry images and express contact information. Their folio may have a few hundred, or even a few thousand followers that all have foreign sounding names; these followers were paid for in an effort to make their folio wait more legitimate. Yes, you can easily purchase followers for social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more. Since nigh of this page's traffic is imitation, you'll besides detect their posts accept very limited engagements (likes, comments, shares, etc). Legitimate animal rescues usually have a great deal of appointment on their social media pages.

Contact Via Email or Social Media

Pet scammers focus on hitting up the largest possible number of people per solar day, and they don't waste material whatsoever time getting correct to the point. They'll commonly start to lure interest with a sob story correct away, and so inquire for money almost immediately. Legitimate rescues are unlikely to contact you direct to ask for donations.

How to Determine if a Pet Rescue is Legitimate

To tell if an brute rescue organization is truly legitimate, consider all of the points we just talked about. Most rescues will have a unique name, an active social media following, regular posts about their activities and fundraisers, unique images, and more than. Additionally, articulate contact information and details about their rescue will be readily bachelor.

Canadahelps.org has a listing of well-nigh 1,200 animate being rescues: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/explore/charities/category/animals/

If y'all're considering donating to an animate being rescue, consider local pets in need at organizations like the Georgian Triangle Humane Society, SMILE Animal Society, and the Grey Bruce Animal Shelter.

Brandon Forder, known as The Pet Expert, is vice-president of Canadian Pet Connectedness, an industry leader in healthy pet lifestyles. Brandon is certified in pet nutrition, and has more than twenty-five years' experience specializing in pet wellness and behaviour. He has written hundreds of informative pet-related articles for newspapers, magazines, radio, and the pop Inquire the Pet Proficient Blog. Brandon is highly skilled in pet problem solving, and enjoys education others about smart and responsible pet buying. To acquire more, visit www.CanadianPetConnection.ca .