Cashier Check and Money Order Pet Scam

In recent months there has been a new scam of counterfeit cashier’s checks (and money orders) which has received a lot of publicity. It has been used on eBay a lot and other auction sites. It is now spreading on other types of internet sites.
For this reason, we are advising all of our sellers to accept only credit cards, cash, PayPal, or wire transfers for payments unless they know the person to whom they are selling their pets.
Here is how this scam usually works.
The scammer usually offers to pay the seller more than the asking price for the pet.
The scammer then offers to pay with a cashier’s check especially Western Union and then asks the seller to refund the difference in cash to pay   for shipping.
Many people will fall for this trick because cashier’s checks were always as good as gold until now.
For instance, if you are selling a pet for $300, the scammer would offer to pay you with a cashier’s check for $1000, but would ask you to give the person, who will be picking up the pet, $700 in cash to be used to cover shipping and handling or their plane ticket. If you give that person $700 and your pet, then you would have lost your pet plus $700, if the cashier’s check is worthless.
Be alert for these scammers.
Finally, never send money overseas to someone you do not know personally!