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The Cameroon pet scam offers to sell exotic animals or rare pet birds (such as the hyacinth macaw). The scam targets prospective pet owners searching online forums.
The Cameroon pet scam is, unfortunately, a common online con that has burnt many a hopeful parrot buyer. The pet scam gets its name because many of the scams originate in the African country of Cameroon, much as the Nigerian widow scam has its origins in Nigeria.
Here’s how it works. The scammer posts on an online forum or classified ads board, offing to sell either rare parrots or other animals. Parrots and birds are a popular lure, as are expensive purebred dogs and cats. Some pet scams even offer to sell exotic animals such as monkeys, antelopes and big cats.
Popular choices for pet scam parrots include hyacinth macaws, the larger cockatoos, and highly endangered birds (some scams have offered the Spyx macaw, which is believed to be extinct in the wild). The price for the parrots or exotic animals is very low, and the scammer usually implies that the low price is because he / she is more interested in finding a good home for the pets than profit. The location given for the birds is usually somewhere in the United States.
Once the scam victim contacts the “seller,” the scam artist explains that he / she is currently doing missionary work in Cameroon (The scam is also popular in the Sudan and the Central Africa Republic). He’d be delighted to sell the parrots, but as they are in Cameroon with him, the buyer will need to pay for shipping, handling, and export duties.
Presuming the victim buys this, he or she sends off payment to Cameroon (or wherever the scam artist is). Usually the scammer insists on payment by money order, which is almost impossible to trace when cashed. Then the seller contacts the buyer again.
Seems there was trouble down at the Cameroon missionary. Sometimes they’re out of food for the children. Sometimes the roof of the mission fell in. Either way, the seller is forced to increase the price of the hyacinth macaws or whatever parrot he’s claiming to sell. Sometimes the pet scam takes a slightly different tack and the scammer claims that new duties or export taxes have appeared and need paying. Each time the victim sends more money, new disaster or export charge appears. Eventually, hundreds of dollars out of pocket (if not thousands), the buyer gives up in frustration.
Spotting a Cameroon Pet Scam
There are several ways to detect a Cameroon pet scam. Always be wary of ads that offer exotic animals at strangely low rates. A hyacinth macaw, for instance, sells for $10,000 to $13,000. Any ad offering to sell two hyacinth macaws (and their cage!) for $1,500 has to be viewed very suspiciously.
Any ad offering to sell wild caught or endangered parrots should be avoided: pet scams aside, it’s unethical and cruel to buy wild caught birds and against CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). The same should apply to any exotic animals.
Watch for poor grammar and spelling mistakes. Anyone to be selling a hyacinth macaw should at least be able to spell the name correctly! Many of the Cameroon pet scams are run by people with limited written English skills, whether or nor English is their first or second language.
If responding to a posted ad, become suspicious if the seller is out of the country, and especially if he or she is doing Cameroon missionary work. Also, and this is one of the big warning signs, never agree to send money orders to the seller. Once cashed, there’s no way to get your money back.
Resources
Pets on the Net. Internet Pet Scams.
The copyright of the article Pet Birds and the Cameroon Pet Scam in Pet Birds is owned by Michael McGrath. Permission to republish Pet Birds and the Cameroon Pet Scam in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Aug 21, 2008 5:34 AM
Guest
:
ethel_smith22@yahoo.com Be aware of this person. She tried to sell me an
umbrella cockatoo for $150 on Craigslist.com I almost fell for it, but
decided to do some searching on the internet and found this page!! Thanks
for the information!!
Sep 6, 2008 2:48 AM
Guest
:
in ohe of the irish sites- they were trying to sell parrot eggs as well -
which would arrive by the first flight and in the special incubator- which
needed to be returned upon hatching!
Sep 15, 2008 5:20 PM
Guest
:
beware that they ( Sister Rose an Fobang Devine) are still trying to sell
three hyacinth macaws (Winky Pinky and Dinky) for just the cost of the
shipping you pay to the airlines and have a real nice airlnes page as well,
if it wasn't for the poor English and the request for Western Union made
out to someone other than the airlines supposedly holding these birds, the
multi wrong numbers provided, and a few other items that sent up flags,
we too may have fell victim...
Sep 20, 2008 9:33 PM
Guest
:
Ive ran into 3 pet scammers one for an yorkie in Cameroon and 2 parrots
that stated on the website that there in a state in the U.S but once
contacted stated that the pet would be shipped from Cameroon! I didn't fall
for neither b/c 1.It was to good to be true 2. There english was poor and
they never really responded correctly to my emails like I asked for their
name and contact info and they wouldn't tell me and would turn around and
asked me the same question I previously answered for them. Because of all
the scammers out there, If I buy any pet now, it will be locally where I
can go and view the pet and pet owner before buying!
Sep 24, 2008 12:20 PM
Guest
:
I almost got caught in a scam claiming I only pay shipping directly through
the airline it wasn't until I recieved e-mail instead of phone call from
the pet courier Animals Away that I became suspicious and phoned the
company. Please be very careful. I especially hate the fact that the
classified ad companies will not flag or remove the ad on there websites. I
did file a complaint though not sure it will help. I only want to save
other people who don't catch on.
Chantel
Oct 13, 2008 12:42 PM
Guest
:
Hello there i have just very nearly been scammed by the Cameroon pet scam
and it was very convincing. They where selling a parrot for free due to not
being able to keep it as they had to move fast and could not waste time. I
was so let down but soon realised that there was no parrot. Poor english
and phone number they gave when tried to call the guy didnt have a clue
what i was talking about. Also i couldnt understand why i could not pay
through the animals away directly and decided to back out. Please dont be
fooled by this if it sounds to good to be true it probarbly is. Also i
know that once you pay the courier fee afterwards they send an email saying
the pet needs insurance and ask for more money. It is a sad fact but there
is sick people out there just waiting for any oppertunity to money grab!!!
Oct 17, 2008 10:09 AM
Guest
:
Sad to say I did get caught, how, the guy said he was from Arlington, MA,
so I sent the money, Western Union, stupid me of course and then he sent
this confirmation from IPATA, a company that flies animals, but I didn't
realize that if you email them the ending of their email is @ipata.org or
com, this guy, who goes by Dr. Suh Kaitlin (so called wife is Kaitlin L.
Pike from MA), who by the way says he's a doctor (who can't be googled) a
lawyer and then a Reverand. Go figure, any how, they say you will receive
an email from IPATA with confirmation number and all the delivery
information. When I get an email from ipata@ROCKETMAIL.com.....so I emailed
this guy and confronted him, the email said they were being shipped from
Cameroon, and of course asking for more money....these people really need
to be stopped, arrested and prosecuted for all the grief and pain they
cause innocent people to go through!!! He uses the email
clergysuh@yahoo.com....BEWARE!!!!
Oct 28, 2008 1:44 PM
Guest
:
I've found many of these scammers' advertisements. ANother thing I've
noticed, in the listing, they'll show a US address (Texas, California,
Florida...). When you do get a response, it's from a GMAIL (google mail)
Address. Check the properties, all the same IP address. Yes, they are
terrible spellers, and lousy grammer. One of mine was going on a "U.N.
PEACE KEEPING MISSION". The latest claim is an add listed in Texas,
two pairs of Macaws (Greenwing and Blue/Gold). Free to good home. Turns out
they are (supposedly) in Germany!
Nov 5, 2008 5:57 AM
Guest
:
I all most fell for this scam on 2 african greys. As soon as I heard i had
to pay to have them shipped i knew something was up. Especially to a
different country
Nov 25, 2008 10:49 AM
Guest
:
Just to add to this here are two links two sites on this subject, one
includes a news clip
http://www.animalsaway.com/warning_about_pet_and_puppy_adoption_scams
also petshippingblog.blogspot.com these are two really good places
to learn more about this common SCAM!!
Dec 2, 2008 11:03 AM
Guest
:
Hi,
I found an ad that really fits all of this criteria to be a scam
but I am still unsure. The lady has sent me several pictures of the bird
and herself and has offered to pay all the charges for shipping up front
and I will just be expected to pay back, only for shipping, once the bird
has arrived. Its a scarlet macaw. According to the lady they just moved to
cameroon when they joined the peace corp back in May. I got an email from
the lady saying that she has shipped the bird and it would be arriving
soon. Later that same day I get an email from Heathrow international
airport in london saying that they have the bird thats shes healthy but
that she can not complete her journey without more papers to prove that she
is not being smuggled. So the original owner contacted me and told me that
she is working on getting the cites permits needed for the bird to be
shipped. Now the lady is finally asking me for money. She says its 320
dollars for the paperwork on the bird and that she doesn't have it because
she spent all of her money to ship the bird. I was trying to call the
airport and confirm but my phone will not make international phone calls.
So what do I do? Do you think its a scam?
Jan 7, 2009 8:39 AM
Guest
:
I too was almost caught in this acam. They offered 3 prs. of African Greys
for adoption. All health papers, vet checked, etc. What gave them away was
that they stated FIRST these were their late wife's birds, then down a few
sentences in the email the bords were their late husband's birds! It was
signed: Gloria
WHen I discovered it was a scam, I sent them one
last email, telling them I knew they were scammers. What I got back was a
great shock to me...graphic photos of horrible disfiguring growths on
people....and the email stated that 'This was Black Magic' and that my
family would be be hit with great calamities and that my own leg would look
like the one's in the photos! These people are just sick!
They
used the email addy: Gloria_Pretty then some different numbers and on a
Yahoo account.
Jan 22, 2009 2:31 PM
Guest
:
ckcpup@gmail.com - beware of this person as well. I was looking for a
siamese cat and when I asked where they would be shipping her from- they
said Cameroon- and using the Cameroon Pet Delivery Service- when I asked if
they could ship with another airline and for the payment to be done on a
COD basis- I've heard nothing back.
It's really sad when people feel
that they need to do this- thanks to websites like this- I realized that
this must be a scam!
Jan 23, 2009 5:01 PM
Guest
:
My sister answered an ad on Kijji and was told the bird would arrive at her
door hand deliveerd after she paid the shipping, and I told her I tjhought
it was a scam but she wanted the bird so she got a money gram and paid them
some shipping, they even called her in the middle of the night to report on
the bird but they needed more money for -papers ans she emailed them back
and forth and said no more money and it was even the next day they still
contacted her for more money and she finally told them they were a scam and
they quit. Beware!! mY FIRST CLUE WAS POOR ENGLISH AND SPELLING.
Jan 28, 2009 2:09 PM
Guest
:
Yep, this is in cookie-cutter fashion to a scam I fell for. Fortunately my
mother was wiser. It was a green-wing macaw $350 for shipping. The first
reply was convincing. They had their story together, saying it was tame,
DNA sexed and had a healthy diet of Roudybrush, Lafebers, vegetables, and
nuts. Later she claimed to have brain tumors that prevented her from caring
for the bird. Don't fall victim to these ridiculous scams!
Feb 1, 2009 12:35 PM
Guest
:
Hi....www.bestparrotbreeders.blogspot.com is scam....CLAUDE
JAMES.BAMENDA,CAMEROON.BEWARE!!!!!!
Feb 5, 2009 1:01 PM
Guest
:
watch out for the cameroon pet scam and watch out for this email
eleanornkwenti@yahoo.com she will keep on sending you things to say please
buy them i work for HIV aids and i need someone to take my birds. She is
just trying to make it so she sounds hopeless but shes a SCAMMER!!! this
idiot is a couple that never upper cases thier I's and talks funky, and
they also said that two blue and gold macaws would only be 135 dollars to
ship each one!
Feb 11, 2009 12:58 AM
Guest
:
Anyone know about serha bri selling klee kai puppies
serahpets@rocketmail.com
They says they just sold puppies their last
puppies to a missionary that took them to africa.
he neededs to sell
them because its to hot there ect.
I talked to him on the phone heavy
African ascent and i ask where he was from and he said Alaska LOL i new for
sure it was a scam then (was suspicious before).
so i looked into it
and was lead here.
bad English, wants western union,missionary,
Nigeria,supposed good price.
Please be careful ppl
Feb 16, 2009 9:32 PM
Guest
:
hello unfortunately i have been scammed by the cameroon pet scam.they
claimed to be missionaries who did not have time for the birds.they asked
for money to be wired and unfortunately i sent it and got nothing just like
other when i sent the first transfer they sent an email requesting more
money.the names they have you send it to are pastor george mogan in
cameroon and franklin anmbundem morfan.the name of the sender on the email
is anon moore and the email address they use is anonmoore20@yahoo.com.i
have notified western union of this scam and they are adding it to there
list of fraudulent scammers.
Feb 20, 2009 6:30 PM
Guest
:
My wife fell for a variant of this scam. We answered an ad from Lycos from
a woman claiming to be from Texas who moved to Hawaii for a promotion. She
claims to be so busy at work, she needs to give away her African Grey
parrot. She even sent pictures of it. Turns out that the pics were stock
images. Well, Wifey exchanged several emails with the woman (Ashley
Anderson - anderson.ashley66@yahoo.com) Her grammar and spelling were
decent enough, so that didn't throw me. What did throw me was she referred
to the shipping company as the "Courier Company". She never did
name it.
Well, she sent another email detailing how she was going to
the airport to register the bird with the Courier Company. Within minutes,
my wife's phone rang from The Courier Company requesting payment ASAP as
the bird cannot be shipped without it. They called three times demanding
payment within a half-hour span. The payment address they sent was NOT in
Hawaii, rather in Cameroon to a fellow named Alain Anye who supposedly
resides at 1551 Ala Wai Blvd, Douala, Cameroon, 00237. They claimed that
their Hawaii office was being audited and I had to make the payment to
their headquarters in Cameroon. My immediate suspicions was that this was a
fraud, but Wifey tried to convince me otherwise. So like an idiot, I sent a
Western Union money thingy for $255, the cost of shipping, to Mr. Anye.
Wifey emailed Ashley to let her know that the money was sent and she
immediately replied saying that they have to confirm payment before they
ship the bird. Then the Courier Company called Wifey and told her that
they will ship the bird tomorrow. OK, fair enough. We reasoned that the
reason for the delay was the flight schedules that were coming out of
Hawaii. So we go home and I'm unable to ease my suspicions. I start doing
some research and nothing that I was told adds up. I Checked Yahoo and
while there is a user by that name, no details are added. The email address
from The Courier Company (petflight_cargo111@deliveryman.com) turns out to
be suspect. So now, I'm freaking out. Miss Ashley, since the time we
notified her that we made the payment, has not returned any of our emails,
nor has The Courier Company. So, I call Western Union to see what I could
do, turns out that Alain has not picked up the money transfer. HA! I call
Western Union and cancelled the transfer. They were able to refund my
money, minus the service fee. I consider this to be a lesson learned.
Feb 23, 2009 1:59 PM
Guest
:
I NO I AM DEALING WITH A SCAM AT THIS VERY MOMENT!!
I HAVEN'T SENT
THEM A DIME. AND THEY ARE NOT GETTING FROM ME.
I THINK THERE MAY BE
ARE MORE VICTIMS.ON THIS BESIDES ME.
THEY SURE NO HOW TO MAKE YOU FEEL
GUILTY.
THEY KEEP CHANGING THERE TERMS. CASH/ MONEY GRAMS.
CAN'T
WAIT TIL THE NEXT ONE.
I WISH THERE WAS AWAY TO PUT A STOP TO THIS.
AND IT SEEMS THAT ALOT OF ADS. ARE SCAMS!!
Mar 3, 2009 7:04 PM
Guest
:
Thank you for this article. I too almost fell for this scam. Fortunately,
when I was offered a bird who was supposedly in the missouri area, I love
roadtrips, so I offered to go pick the bird up. I was then told they had
just left the country for Cameroon. Sad really, that people will do this to
folks who are simply wanting a pet. Look out for this one as well
moniks00@yahoo.com. When I offered to pay only COD for delivery of a live
bird. I was told they couldn't believe they were about to give their bird
to an "untrust family".
Apr 29, 2009 12:44 AM
Guest
:
Beware of these addresses: 1. Doris Jen <dorisjen10@yahoo.com 2. global pets transporters ltd <petmoveragency@consultant.com I notice their trend of changes e-mail address and they of course
they can afford it with the scam money they're getting. I almost became a
victim; fortunately, the bell rang several times. Online, they showed
pictures of English Bulldog puppies that appeared to be 1-2 weeks old and
when I e-mailed them that I was interested, they showed me pictures of a
12-week old puppie. Second, they said on day 1 that the puppy's name was
this and the next day it was another. Third, they said that if I would not
be able to go to Seattle,14deer track Rd76.# apt 0023-Washington for the
pick up (this is how the address was written), I would have to pay delivery
for $210. Then, the grand finale was the message that the puppy was
actually coming from Cameroon?: DEAR CLIENT, WE WISH TO
INFORM YOU THAT WE STILL HAVE YOUR ENGLISH BULLDOG PUPPY HERE TO BE
TRANSPORTED TO YOU .HE MISSED HIS FLIGHT YESTERDAY DUE TO NON PAYMENT OF
THE DELIVERY FEE.HOW EVER,WE MANAGED TO GET ANOTHER FLIGHT TO YOUR LOCATION
WHICH WILL BE LEAVING IN ABOUT 12 HOURS.WE ADVICE THAT YOU MAKE THIS
PAYMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THE PUPPY CAN FOLLOW THE NEXT FLIGHT
SCHEDULE. WHEN YOU ARE THROUGH WITH THE PAYMENT GET BACK TO US WITH
THE MTCN NUMBER SO THAT WE CAN ACTIVATE THE FLIGHT IMMEDIATELY AND THE
PUPPY WILL BE DELIVER AT YOUR HOME ADDRESS.. PLEASE BELOW IS THE
ADDRESS WISH YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE THE PAYMENT FULL NAME
:................... ANYE ALAIN ADE Country:.............................. CAMEROON STATE
:.......................... DOUALA CITY
:........................................ BONABERI ZIP
CODE............................... 00237 WHEN PAYING THIS MONEY
YOU WILL NEED A TEST QUESTION,YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE IT TO BE AS FOLLOWS: QUESTION:.................................... WHEN ANSWER:
....................................NOW YOU ARE TO USE WAL MART MONEY
GRAM OR WESTERN UNION MANAGEMENT YOUR SATISFACTION IS OUR
GOAL. WE ARE HERE TO SERVE YOU AND HOPE YOU ENJOY OUR SERVICES. MANAGER. 01123774760956 CUSTOMER SERVICE, CARGO
DEPARTMENT, PETS MOVER TRAVEL AGENCY I had to search his
name online and thanks to this article--the mystery was brought to closure.
Apr 30, 2009 7:08 AM
Guest
:
I tried to look online for English Bulldog puppy for adoption in Florida
and here's one located in Boca Raton. This is my 2nd attempt to contact an
owner and here's the response, coming fron another e-mail address (notice
the composition of the message):
ju_leah20_07@live.com
Subject: English Bulldog
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 0Hi there,thanks for
your mail regarding my babies, there is still available to go home, to any
one prepared to provide them with enough care and love.they are 12 weeks
old and has very good temperament with kids and other pets,They are very
playful loves to play around with kids, toys and other pet, hand raised,
Potty trained.They are called Dolly and Dozer.They are in doors and out
doors trained, they will be coming with all their health papers and vet
records,toys, They come from parents of 45.5 - 50 lbs and will be same as
an adult.Sorry to say we traveled to cameroon with some of our puppies,They
will be ship from Cameroon and it will take about 8 hours for the babies to
get to your location,As concern shipment we are going to use Air France to
ship them from Cameroon to Paris and from Paris to your location they will
take a transit flight which will be Delta Airlines.This is because Delta
airlines is working in collaboration with Air France.If you are still
interested in adopting Dolly and Dozer Let me know so that we make
arrangements for me to send them back to you. I'll love to know if you have
any experiences with Bulldogs as it is necessary you know how to take care
of them. If you don't , I'll be willing to send them along side their
manual and other accessories. Shipping them back home will not be expensive
it will cost you($100) and their adoption fee will be $90.Which makes the
total sum of $190. so just let me know if you are interested by sending me
the address where you want them shipped to, including your phone number.
I'll make all the necessary arrangements for you . If you have any question
you may want to ask , feel free asking .Below is an attachment of their
pics
Hope to read from you again
Thanks
May 3, 2009 1:12 AM
Guest
:
Looks like I'm the latest addition to the scam. Unfortunately I didn't go
with my first mind and back out. Lost a little over $500 to the imfamous
Kaitlin L. Pike. The money, although was a pretty big loss to me, can
always be made up, but the fact that it got the hopes up of not only me but
someone else who was willing to dish out the same money for a supposed
puppies was the part that really got me. I should have known... But,
lessoned learned... I'm going to see how far I can take it now by seeing
how much this bastard expects me to send for the fake pet. Well... I know
for sure I'm not sending diddly squat.. But I guess since they screwed me
out of money I can just screw with them back..
May 18, 2009 3:43 PM
Guest
:
please beware of cameroon parrot scam. i was looking for a african grey .
i saw one for sale so i emailed the woman knowing to be stella but i didint
realise at the time noy and not being a regular web user i proceeded with
the sale and to my and to my disapointment i have been scamed please watch
out for stella or vanessa or mr karl duke and he claims his agent number
afid .8655 and look out for this email (stella_carolle@yahoo.com) but one
thing i learned from this is they use yahoo or gmail and have a line
between the frist name and last
May 21, 2009 10:10 AM
Guest
:
I have also been scammed! I got 2 names of the scammers... These are the
names they wanted me to send the money to... Do not wire money to MULUH
ERIC ASOBO or CHE ROLAND ADE
May 28, 2009 4:26 PM
Guest
:
I believe after reading this page that a person by the name of Alexander
Gala is trying to get me to send him $440 for 2 macaw's, by the names of
Lucy and Pinky, that he claims he needs to find good homes for because the
weather is too rough for them in Cameroon. He claims he is with the
American Peace Corp. He posted an ad on Craigslist for the birds. He told
me to go to the post office and Western Union the money to the
following:
Alexander Gala
American Peace Corps
PO Box 7419
Douala, Littoral Cameroon
So now after reading this website I am
so glad I went with my gut instinct and researched this before sending the
money. Thank you so much! You just saved me $440+!
May 30, 2009 9:06 AM
Guest
:
i too have been sacamed by the camroon scam luckily i did't send any money
here is the e-mail sent to me
Thanks
for the respond. sally and willy are available and i need a home ready to
give them all the love and affection they can ever get.they are both Congo
African Grey parrots aged 19months old, hand raised and has been adequately
socialized to get along with humans and other pets. they have been vet
checked and medical checked and proven to be very healthy.they have a
great ability to talk producing parts of speech such as good morning, good
afternoon, their names and other word or short sentences uttered by people
around them. they have been DNA sexed and proven as a female(sally) and
male(willy)
Just a bit about myself, I am an aid worker with an
international organization called water for life by James Roberson giving
aid to people in third world countries suffering from poor water supplies
and deadly diseases caused by poor drinkable water sources in Third world
countries. I am 35 single with no kids.My job is a really demanding and
time consuming one and i hardly find the time again to give sally and
willy all the love and affection they needs, that's why i am trying to
find a home for them as soon as possible.All you need to do is pay for
their transportation to your location.($250)I am located in Garoua where I
got to from the New York,United States some days ago. Attached are very
recent pictures of them,contact me for more if you wish
i
then found out Garoua is in camroon so i didn't reply
Jun 9, 2009 12:45 PM
Guest
:
Beware of siennamiller40@yahoo.com
I almost bought an african grey for
$310, but when I got the confirmation email, they told me to send the money
to cameroon. They were selling 3 african greys, 13 weeks old. From
oodle.com
30 Comments
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