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Pet Birds and the Cameroon Pet Scam

Non-Existent Exotic Animals and Hyacinth Macaws

© Michael McGrath

Jul 26, 2008
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.




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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
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