Question:
How do I know if I'm being scammed for a bengal kitten?
2016-03-15 18:28:57 UTC
I saw an ad on craigslist and the woman is selling them 250 each or 450 for both. They are adorable. She said to send her the money via moneygram and I read that it's always a scam if its on money gram. So I asked her for a video of the kitten I was getting. She sent the video and it seems legit. She's from Duluth, MN. I live in Colorado. She said shell be shipping the kitten to me for 98 dollars. What would you do?
23 answers:
*****
2016-03-15 19:22:22 UTC
It's a scam. Shipping costs at least a couple hundred, plus cost of a carrier and the needed vet documentation. No one legit asks to be paid by moneygram. Moneygram and similar services should only ever be used to send funds to people you know personally and well (like family). Money sent that way can't be recovered or traced if you're scammed. Only scammers want to use them for purchases. If someone was selling bengals for that much less than the going rate, don't you think they would have plenty of LOCAL takers without messing around with shipping? And why on earth would someone in MN be advertising on a Colorado craigslist site? It's a local classifieds site. So many red flags here, I don't know how you could even begin to think it's legit.
?
2016-03-16 16:06:44 UTC
Even if she's not scamming per se, why would you buy something without looking it over first? And with "purebred" animals, you ought to also check out the parents of the litter to see what they look like, what their temperaments are like, etc. Then you exam each kitten and hold it, see what it's personality is and whether it will mesh with y our household. You should NEVER buy any animal sight unseen, that's just asking to be ripped off. These kittens could be only part bengal and not have many of the bengal markings at all, may look like regular ordinary housecats--and by the time you receive it, you probably won't want to spend the money to send it back and may not have an address to send it back to anyway. That's what these people are counting on, that you won't want to return an inferior animals. If you cannot afford to go out to the breeder and take a look at what kind of conditions all the cats are living in, what the parents look like, pick out exactly which kitten you want, then you should not buy it. And moneygrams, money orders, cashier's checks and even Western Union transfers are just like sending cash--if you never receive your goods, or if the goods you do receive are not what you expected, your money is gone and there's nothing you can do about it. Which is why they invented credit cards and escrow accounts and to some degree personal checks (you can cancel personal checks).
Kittysue
2016-03-16 01:21:31 UTC
It's an obvious scam

First of all, Bengal kittens cost well over $600, not $250

Second, shipping costs minimum $400 when you count in the costs of the shipment, crates, documentation required, etc

Third, Craigslist is ONLY for local postings. NOBODY is allowed to post anything in your city that is not physically located in your area. That is against Craigslist's terms and any item listed that is not local needs to be flagged

Fourth, Craigslist is ONLY for face to face CASH transactions or you will ALWAYS get scammed. There are NO exceptions. Any time you can't meet the seller in a public location and pay cash at pick up, you are being scammed
?
2016-03-15 18:59:55 UTC
I wouldn't accept it.



I'm thinking this is a scam, and I wouldn't even suggest it either if it weren't. Shipping animals is a hard and anxious proccess, and the animals always suffer from it. Also, Craigslist recommends dealing only with local buyers and sellers for good reason. Anyone claiming to be interested in buying your item from another location and having you ship it to them is likely trying to run a scam. Sellers on Craigslist have been taken in by buyers who send fake checks for more money than the selling price, then ask the seller to wire them the excess amount.



It's hard to tell if it's a scam, especially with that suspicous video... Okay, the person may have the ktitens, but that doesn't mean she will send them to you. Also, Moneygram is used for people you trust for a reason too. Isn't its motto, "MoneyGram is very safe and secure when sending to someone you know and trust." ?Well... unless you know this person, I wouldn't suggest it.



Also, if this isn't a scam, it's not always nice getting live animals shipped to you, especially if you don't know if this breeder/owner will provide stress-free shipping for them. I'd just go to the nearest pet shelter, and see if they have a bengal kitten, or if you're really.... really... really... wanting a purebred kitten or something... I guess you can go to the nearest breeder around you, but I wouldn't suggest paying money to a person you don't know and for a kitten you don't know exists or not.
?
2016-03-15 19:49:46 UTC
It is a scam. Never buy a kitten from someone on craigslist. It costs at least $300 to ship an animal, and you have to pick it up at the airport, they do not deliver them to your door. Bengal kittens start at $800 for pet only kittens, so these probaby arent even bengals but regular mackeral or classic tabby domestic shorthairs. I own a bengal and my breeder won't even ship kittens, and she is legit and reputable. The laws for shipping animals to buyers were changed in 2013 and are much stricter so it's probably not even legal for her to ship you a kitten.
Ocimom
2016-03-16 08:09:52 UTC
I'm from MN (now in Texas). While it may be a Bengal, its a very poor quality one from a backyard breeder. I show cats - this person doesn't show - she breeds pets. And it will cost you MORE then $98 for shipping! - minimum of $250.



If you want reputable breeders of Bengals, you can message me or you can go on ACFA or TICA websites and look at the breeders there. Also here is a more reputable breeder list of all cats - check them out.



I would NOT buy from this backyard breeder! BTW - repubable breeders sell their kittens for $800+ and come with all shots, worming, spay/neuter.



http://www.breedlist.com/breed.html
Ticked
2016-03-15 19:00:17 UTC
Nobody is selling a quality bengal kitten for $250. They are worth 3 times that much for pet-quality. This is for sure a scam or these are not really bengal kittens.
?
2016-03-18 21:20:37 UTC
When you're going to buy a cat like that you definitely should meet the breeder and check out the cats before evening thinking about buying. Since these cats are so expensive, you want to make sure you're getting what you're paying for.
Elaine M
2016-03-15 23:08:27 UTC
SCAM!!!!!!! This has scam written all over it. You'll be out the money, and no cat will be sent to you.



Go through a local breed rescue, or with a local breeder who is selling pet quality kittens in YOUR AREA.
Star_of_Darkness
2016-03-15 21:06:38 UTC
Its CL. They are NOT Bengals. They are common tabby mutt cats that someone is selling and lying about them being Bengals.



And its a scam. Any one on CL asking for money to be sent to them is always a sacm. And the vid is one stolen off YouTube. Likely there are no kittens or if there are kittens, they are common tabby mutts.
Karen
2016-03-18 01:00:43 UTC
I learnt a valuable lesson some 7 years ago. I almost bought a puppy by transferring money. Then I had word it was a scam, so I looked into it and it sure was. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES send money to ANYONE!

You need to see the puppy face to face and exchange money/puppy like good people do
2016-11-04 01:10:50 UTC
when you're going to buy a cat like that you definitely should meet the breeder and check out the cats before evening thinking about buying......... since these cats are so expensive, you want to make sure you're getting what you're paying for.........
2016-03-16 10:20:21 UTC
Nothing, get a cat that you can go to and see before you part with a cent, of course it is a scam.
2016-11-17 17:52:28 UTC
i learnt a valuable lesson some 7 years ago... i almost bought a puppy by transferring money... then i had word it was a scam, so i looked into it and it sure was... under no circumstances send money to anyone!

you need to see the puppy face to face and exchange money/puppy like good people do
ZotsRule
2016-03-16 02:43:53 UTC
I wouldn't do anything but laugh at you. Even a pet quality Bengal kitten STARTS at around $800!!!



This is a SCAM. Any pictures or videos she gave you were simply lifted off the internet. Link to the ad. I'm betting if you right click on the photos you'll find them all over the internet.



If it isn't a scam then it's just a backyard breeder trying to pass off no breed kittens as Bengals since idiots will buy them thinking they're "getting a deal".
fairly smart
2016-03-15 18:53:36 UTC
NOT pay any money. Shipping animals, can you even imagine shipping a live animal? They will have your money & you may get a dead cat. or, nothing at all. Find someone closer that you can deal with in person. This is a gyp.
?
2016-03-15 22:51:30 UTC
just tell her you changed your mind, DON'T do it. Try & find cat breeders nearer home. DON'T buy anything from that site.
?
2016-03-16 13:18:45 UTC
I think you should buy them, then proceed to sue her on Judge Judy and get double your money back
J M
2016-03-18 17:54:25 UTC
Ask her for a reference from a customer.
2016-03-29 03:06:29 UTC
i think you should buy them, then proceed to sue her on judge judy and get double your money back
?
2016-03-15 18:34:18 UTC
Adopt the kittens
?
2016-03-15 18:31:15 UTC
ask to do paypal?
Betty B
2016-03-17 07:35:00 UTC
A Bengal is a cross between a domestic cat and an Asian Leopard cat (a Bengal tiger from India)...very expensive.

It needs at least four generations to be tamable.

Somebody could get a picture of one and sell it over and over again to make money, not even having a Bengal cat.

You do not "ship" a Bengal cat. You pay for somebody and pay for a plane ticket to and from where it's supposed to be delivered (and with the return ticket) to accompany the cat safely or you go there yourself to get the kitten and not pay until you get it and get a vet to assess it, just to make sure it was no stolen and has a microchip, like any breed cats have.

If you’re driving, it’s about 1,000 miles from Colorado to Minnesota, like 14 hours driving.

By plane it’s an hour 45 minutes + the time to get to your airport and I would say about $675 for a one-way plane ticket and $250 if you book your flight months earlier or show up at the airport without a plane ticket and get assigned a cheap one to fill empty sits.

Once, I got a cheap plane ticket, going from Paris (France) to Naples (Italy) with a stop in Rome and they did not have a second class sit for me so they gave me a first class seat with a huge seat and an awesome meal and first class service from the flight attendant…I ended up sitting next to one of my favorite actress. Romy Schneider who killed herself a couple of years later, when she could not deal with her son impaling himself on a pointy high metal fence.









Of course, you’re asking that kind of question makes you the perfect patsy but at least you’re asking the question so you know you’re being scammed.

Plus it’s just a few hundred dollars, later on, you could be scammed for one month salary and in your 50s, it’s your life savings and your house, so learn your lesson now!!



If you pay money and get nothing, you cannot even sue anybody because the cost of a lawyer and court fees would be greater and the court system don't really care about people falling for scams as there's enough dangerous and violent criminals to deal with + it's a good lesson for you to learn so later on, you don't lose your life savings at which point the scammer disappears.



It's both a scam and a good lesson to learn if you fall for it.



A Bengal kitten for sale would be a “reject”, not abiding to the breed species to compete in cat shows.

A breeder would not sale a Bengal but would find somebody else to breed that cat with other shows champions.

It’s fun to go to a cat show as the cats do not only need to meet their breed requirements (ear, tail, eye, fur color…) but also needs to abide to being handled by the show cats judges…my cat, a scratchy one would probably hide or scratch.

It’s fun when cat show caretakers let you pet their cats.

Those cats are tamed to be handled, some are ugly (the hairless ones that still win medals as they abide to their species)



https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=hairless+cats&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004



Cat shows judges look at the ears, the eyes, the fur, the tail to determine if a cat conforms to specific species requirements, along with the cat being naturally the opposite of scratchy or biting if you would get to her.

Plus the judge lifts the cat and drops it to make an assessment about how the cat can land on its feet and keep its balance.

My cat is shy, hiding in my closet, scratching or biting.

She’s a great bug hunter but surely not a cat show because a judge would be sorry trying to handle her.

I can handle her because I’m her caretaker and she knows I provide her with love, affection, respect + food, water, a clean litter box, a good vet getting monthly preventive flea treatment and cutting/trimming her claws.

It took me a few months to learn that skill without hurting her…do not cut in the pink parts of the claws as pink = blood/nerves and would be very painful for your cat.

One of my lifetime achievements is that I never hurt a cat taking care of the claws.

I also never amputated a cat (declawing is a euphemism about amputating your cat).

Would you want to get your distal phalanges amputated to lose your nails?!

Hopefully you would not need to scratch an itch somewhere.

An amputated cat cannot use his/her nails to scratch, stretch, fight…



I also provide my cat with a roof over her head with heat in the winter and AC in the hot summer, protect her from potential predators, take care of her fur (she has magnificent shiny fur and short hair but still thick 3 layers of it) with a cat brush like this one with ball-tipped nylon bristles…



http://www.amazon.com/Hartz-Slicker-Brush-for-Cats/dp/B000VQ9NG0/ref=sr_1_20?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1403076289&sr=1-20&keywords=cat+brush



Plus I have to use a lint brush…I buy Evercare lint brush from Amazon, get a box with 12 refills.

Each time I use the lint brush like to get the little white specks from my black velvet pants (I don’t know where those come from) my cat comes a-running to be brushed. She lies down like a rag doll, stretches; some cats are called ragdolls because of their tendency to just go limp when picked up.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragdoll



I’ve seen some funny video on YouTube about cats going limb and just falling down.

Even a guy trained his dog to go limb when imitating shooting with his fingers…bang-bang and the dog just falls down and plays dead like an opossum…hilarious.

Opossums are famous for “playing possum” (falling down and looking like they’re dead with their tongue hanging out) and also having 50 teeth (the most teeth for any land mammals) which is scary if you have to deal with an opossum that got trapped in your screen porch, using a cat door to get in but can’t find it to get out.

You might try to wide open your screened porch door but the opossum is climbing up your screen and that is when you get an interesting project to share with your kid(s) about how to free an opossum not playing possum but still having 50 teeth.

Then I become an amazing mom wearing the proper gear, like Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) and my kid is handling the butterfly mesh catcher and the broom. I’m handling the opossum and 50 teeth.

I gear up with my ice skating knee pads, elbow pads, reinforced gloves, helmet, thick leather clothing, knee high leather boots.

I managed to get the opossum out of my screen porch which was easier than getting an unvaccinated rabid cat in a cardboard box inside a blanket.

Animal Control shows up within 20 minutes if you can get the rabid animal secured in a blanket in a cardboard box.

Next time, I might use a taser for a rabid animal…that rabid cat was not inside my screened porch but acting like a frantic lunatic, jumping high and destroying my screen and scaring my cat (she hid in my closet).







Opossums can “play possum” when being threatened by dogs, foxes, or bobcats, opossums flop onto their sides and lie on the ground with their eyes closed or staring fixedly into space. They extend their tongues and generally appear to be dead. This ploy may put a predator off its guard and allow the opossum an opportunity to make its escape.



http://animals.mom.me/kinds-teeth-opossums-have-7721.html



A Bengal kitten would still be sold for several thousand dollars (not $250).

A Bengal having all the breed requirements to compete in cat shows cost several thousand of dollars for cat aficionados competing in cat shows.

The “rejects” are the ones too wild/scratchy and can be sold after being spayed (females) or neutered (males).



I was a foster for my current cat.

She was rejected three times by potential family as she was too wild and scratchy; she was a rescue from a feral cat colony.

The Humane Society where I live is the best of the State and a no-kill shelter but will still euthanize animals that are too sick, too old, or too wild to be adoptable.

They have a special room with the best older cats, as they euthanize the ones that are too old, too sick, depressed because their caretaker died.

The older cats that are deemed good enough to be adopted are very friendly, playful, and choose you for their caretaker (not the other way around).





“Here, little girl, I got you a cute new kitten for Christmas” and the next thing you hear is the girl screaming because the kitten scratched her and she’s bleeding!!


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
Loading...