Don’t Fall For A Bird Scam!
How to Spot (and Avoid) Bird Scams
Dear PetRelocation,
I saw an ad in the Penny Saver and have some questions about it. The couple said they have a parrot in Belgium and can provide the vaccination paperwork and health certificate.
All they ask is that I provide $200 Euro for the flight since they don't have the time to take care of the parrot. They said they are Zoologists and are currently in Belgium doing animal research.
I have a few questions:
1. Do I need to know the person's name when they export the bird?
2. Do they need the Belgian Veterinarian to issue the current health certificate? Please advise if I need to take the risk.
Thanks.
Below is the email from the couple..
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From: meiway miranda ([email protected])
Thank you for your email. My wife and I are zoologists and we are currently in Belgium for an intensive program of research on farm animals. we were about to travel out that is why we wanted to give the parrot away to a lovely home here in the US since we do not no much about the people in Belgium and if they are pet lovers.
Plus since we came here, we do not have time to take care of this wonderful parrot (you can not believe it?) The nature of this study is so time consuming that we spend almost all our time outside the home. So I and my wife decided not sell it to you , but all we ask from you is if you are willing to pay for the transportation and delivery of the parrot to you , we will give him to you for free he already has all their travel documents we obtained when we were
coming to Belgium. We have made all necessary inquiries and it will cost 200 euro to transport it from here to you in your home
So if you are good with it, we need you to give us your shipping address, which will include :
Your full name ...............
Your phone number ...........
Zip / City / State ..............
Street / Address ................
and the nearest airport in your area
so with this information, I will take the parrot to the pet delivery company and reserve a flight for him. When that is done, the delivery agency will contact you to confirm the reservation and then they will inform you on how to pay for the flight and once you do that, a flight shall be activated for the parrot. so get back to me with the delivery details, so that I can go and book a flight for the parrot. thanks and waiting to hear from you at your soonest convenience.
Hi Joseph,
Thanks for the question. Quite simply: This is a scam. Do not send any money to these supposed zoologists, and cut off all communication with them immediately. They are only trying to take money from you, and they do not have a parrot.
Here is more information about bird scams and what they typically entail. Usually pet scammers of any kind use similar tactics; they often ask simply for transportation fees that are unusually low, and they stress they are "just searching for a good home" for the pet. Their emails tend to be filled with grammatical errors and emotional pleas, as well.
Unfortunately pet scams continue to be pretty common occurrences (we run across them on a regular basis, anyway), so it's important to be educated and to stay wary of buying pets online. Do research to make sure you're dealing with legitimate sources, and better yet, adopt locally instead!
Sorry this happened to you, Joseph. Please contact us if you have any more questions, and stay smart out there, everyone.
Pet Transport Question Details:
Name: Joseph
Number of Pets: 1
Pet Type: Bird
Pet Breed: Hyacinth Macaw
From: Belgium
To: California