A breeder created a video revealing which four words indicate social media scams aimed at prospective pet owners.
The video, from TikTok user @telltailpets, has earned more than 21,000 views since going up on May 1. In it, a representative from TellTail.com talks through what appears to be a nefarious type of pet scam, using various smartphone screenshots to illustrate her claims.
According to the TellTail website, the company is “the only matching service for certified dog breeders and qualified puppy buyers.” The video is one of many on the TikTok channel warning prospective pet owners about various scams.
This video calls attention to four words—”for adoption and rehoming”—the creator claims are used in Facebook groups meant to prey on people wanting specific types of puppies.
In her opening, the creator notes, “I spend my days studying these scammers. I know how they operate,” and adds that scammers are part of why she started TellTail. Of the four words to watch for, which are “for adoption and rehoming,” she remarks, “They prey on people who are looking for very specific types of dogs by creating these groups that are easily found in Facebook searches. Just as a disclaimer, I can’t say 100% for sure that these are scammers, but from the research that I’ve done, they don’t look very legit.”
@telltailpets #petscams are getting worse on social media. Here are four words that might help you to avoid them in your search for a #newpuppy #puppyscam #breeder #dogbreeder ♬ original sound – TellTail
She also shares, “I’ve also talked to a few of them on Facebook, and let’s just say my red flags went off.”
The creator then describes some of the telltale signs she sees, using screenshots to demonstrate her points.
“There are lots of posts like this just gushing over at this particular Facebook admin,” she says. “There are also lots of photos that don’t belong to the person posting them.”
“The only people who are allowed to post puppies for sale are the admin,” she adds. “That was actually one of the first really big red flags that I saw on these groups, is that the only people who are allowed to sell dogs are the admins of the group or what appear to be very scammy accounts. They also turn off commenting on most of the posts. So the only people who are allowed to comment are admins or what appear to be very hacked scammy accounts.”
She also provides examples of posts that appear to show delighted new dog owners coming from accounts where the actual users look much different from the people in the photos.
She concludes by saying, “These are real people looking for real puppies, and the process of bringing a puppy home is so exciting and so emotional, so to get scammed in the process is just devastating.”
Commenters had views on the matter—including one contending that all “doodle” dogs should be seen as red flags. That comment put them in direct confrontation with the creator.
“Anything that has doodle in it, is a [red flag],” said a commenter using the name Dragonrider333.
After being asked why, Dragonrider333 contended, “Because doodles cannot be ethically bred. No ethical breeder is going to sell a poodle puppy to doodle with.”
The creator jumped in to say, “This is actually a common misconception. There are tons of ethical mixed breed breeders.”
“But not for Doodles,” said Dragonrider333, undaunted.
Other commenters showed themselves to be part of a tough crowd skeptical of TellTail. One person even contended, “Certified real dog breeders? It looks like you’re still supporting unethical back yard breeders.”
The Daily Dot contacted @telltailpets via TikTok comment for more information.
Update 11:18am CT May 24: In a TikTok direct message exchange with the Daily Dot, a Tell Tail representative responded to critical commenters with the following:
“It is core to the TellTail mission that we support only ethical breeders. We have a thorough screening process, which includes ID verification, puppy mill screening, and live interviews to ensure that only responsible breeders are certified,” they wrote. “We also provide education, resources, and other support to breeders to help them in any way we can, and we have breeders on our staff who can help answer questions and help in the screening process of new certified breeders.”
