If you’re looking for a puppy to bring home before Christmas, you’re in good company. It’s one of the loveliest things a family can plan for, and there’s nothing naive about wanting it. The kids have been asking for a year. You’ve picked a breed, read about training, maybe even bought the bed already.

Scammers know all of that too. They know which breeds families search for in November and December, they know a family hoping for Christmas is working to a deadline, and they know the words that make people hurry. That’s what makes puppy scams so painful. They work on the best part of you, the part that wants to say yes.

So here it is, gently and clearly: how the scam usually runs, the checks that stop it, the numbers a legal ad has to carry in some states, and what to do if you’ve already paid. None of this means you can’t buy a puppy online. It just means you’ll know what a real seller looks like.

How the Scam Runs, Step by Step

Puppy scams tend to follow the same path, and once you’ve seen it laid out, it’s much easier to spot.

It starts with the ad. The photos are beautiful, often taken from a real breeder’s website or social media page. The breed is a popular one. The price is a little under what other sellers are asking, enough to feel like a lucky find without looking too good to be true. The description is warm and detailed, sometimes with photos of the “parents” and a little story about the litter.

The chat moves somewhere else. You send a message on the platform where you found the ad, and the seller suggests moving to text, email or a messaging app. It feels friendly and convenient. It also takes you away from any protections the platform offers.

Then comes the deposit. The seller explains that the puppies are in demand, and asks for a deposit “to hold” yours. They may send a bill of sale, a contract, or short videos of a puppy. All of it can be faked or borrowed, which is what makes it so convincing.

Then something goes wrong on pickup day. The seller has a family emergency, or they’re away, or they live too far for you to collect. The puppy, they say, is now with a courier or a pet transport company.

Then come the fees. The “courier” gets in touch. There’s a transport fee. Then insurance. Then a special crate the puppy needs for travel. Then vet papers, or a vaccination certificate, or a refundable charge that will definitely be returned on delivery. Each time you pay, there’s another reason the puppy can’t come yet.

Here’s the most important thing to take from all of this. Every fee after the deposit is the scam. A courier fee that appears after you’ve already paid is a red flag every single time, and often there was never a puppy to send.

Scamwatch’s Checks

Scamwatch, the government’s scam warning service, has clear advice for anyone buying a pet. It’s simple, and it works.

  • See the pet in person. Visit the breeder or seller and meet the puppy where it lives. A scammer with no puppy has nothing to show you.
  • Ask for a video call. If you can’t visit straight away, ask to see the pet on a live video call with the breeder. A real breeder can pick up a puppy and show it to you. A scammer with borrowed photos can’t.
  • Check the breeder is legitimate. Look into whether they’re accredited, and whether they’re who they say they are.
  • Compare prices. Look at what other sellers are asking for the same breed. Scamwatch warns that a pet offered very cheaply is likely to be a scam.

Scamwatch also has general advice for buying anything valuable, and it fits puppies well. Don’t pay for big-ticket items before you’ve inspected them in person. Check that the name on the PayID or bank account matches the person you think you’re paying. And remember that instant payments are unlikely to come back once they’ve gone.

I know it can feel awkward to ask a seller for a video call or a visit, especially when they’ve been so friendly. Anyone who has stood behind a market stall will tell you the honest sellers are the ones who want you to pick the thing up and have a proper look. A breeder who cares where a puppy ends up tends to feel the same way about meeting you.

The Numbers a Legal Ad Has to Show

This is one of the most useful checks, and not many buyers know about it. In some states, a legal ad for a puppy has to show specific numbers, and you can look them up yourself.

In Victoria, Agriculture Victoria says every ad for a dog, cat, puppy or kitten must show the seller’s source number from the Pet Exchange Register, and the animal’s microchip number. That applies wherever the ad appears, including on Facebook, Gumtree, Trading Post and Instagram. You can check the source number on the Pet Exchange Register to see that it’s real and matches the seller.

In Queensland, the Queensland Dog Breeder Register says anyone who sells, advertises or gives away a dog born on or after 26 May 2017 must have a supply number. Buyers can look that number up on the register.

So if you’re buying in Victoria or Queensland and the ad has no number, or the number doesn’t check out, that tells you a lot before you’ve sent a single message.

In other states, the rules are different. Check what your own state requires before you start looking, so you know what a legal ad should show where you live.

Deposits: What a Real Breeder Does

You might be wondering whether you should ever pay a deposit. It’s a fair question, and the honest answer is that real breeders do sometimes take them, especially for popular litters.

The difference is in how they go about it. A real breeder:

  • asks you to visit, or at least welcomes it, and is happy to show you the puppy and often the mother;
  • gives you a written deposit agreement that says what the deposit is for and what happens if either of you changes your mind;
  • takes payment to an account in their own name, which you can check matches who you’re dealing with;
  • doesn’t ask for extra fees after the deposit. No surprise transport charges, no crate, no insurance top-up.

If you’ve met the puppy, you have a written agreement, and the account name matches, you’re on much firmer ground. If any of those is missing, wait.

If You Have Already Paid

If you’re reading this because something feels wrong, or because you’ve already sent money, please be kind to yourself. This happens to careful, sensible people. Scammers are very good at what they do, and the people who fall for puppy scams are often the ones who care most.

There are some steps that can help, and the sooner you take them, the better.

  1. Stop paying. However convincing the next reason sounds, don’t send any more money. If a new fee has appeared, that’s your answer.
  2. Contact your bank straight away. Call them, tell them what happened and ask what they can do. The faster you act, the more options they may have.
  3. Keep everything. Save the ad, screenshots of your messages, any emails, the bill of sale and your payment receipts. Don’t delete the chat, even if it upsets you to see it.
  4. Report it to Scamwatch. It’s quick, and it puts what happened to you on the record.
  5. Report the ad to the platform. Let the site or app where you found it know, so it can look into the listing.

If the kids were expecting a puppy, that’s a hard conversation, and I’m sorry. But the steps above are worth doing even when it feels like the money is gone.

Adoption and Rescue as a Route

It’s also worth knowing that buying from a breeder isn’t the only way to bring a dog home. Local shelters and breed-specific rescue groups often have puppies and young dogs looking for families, and you’ll meet the dog in person as a matter of course.

See the Puppy, Then Pay for the Puppy

The scam follows the same path most of the time: a lovely ad, a chat that moves elsewhere, a deposit, a problem on pickup day, then fee after fee. Once you know that path, it’s much easier to step off it.

See the puppy in person, or on a live video call with the breeder. Compare the price with other sellers. In Victoria, look for the source number and microchip number in the ad. In Queensland, look for the supply number. Check that the account name matches the seller, and never pay a courier fee that appears after the deposit.

And if you’ve already paid, stop, call your bank, keep everything and report it. You did nothing wrong by wanting a puppy. The right one is still out there, and meeting it first is the best way to make sure it’s real.

Sources: Scamwatch, Buying and selling scams, 2026 (https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/buying-or-selling); Agriculture Victoria, Microchip numbers needed in pet sale advertisements (https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/animal-welfare-victoria/domestic-animals-act/registration-legislation-and-permits/microchipping-of-dogs-cats-and-horses/pet-sale-advertisements); Queensland Dog Breeder Register, Selling a dog (https://qdbr.daf.qld.gov.au/information/selling-a-dog)