Pet scams have become prevalent during the pandemic, especially involving Maine Coon kittens, one of the most desirable cats in the United States and Europe.

Unbeknownst to many , there are hundreds of fraudulent websites that prey upon your longing for that perfect pedigreed pet.

Maine Coons, the largest cat breed, are highly desirable and typically go for between $1,500-$4,000. Often there is a waiting list with non-refundable deposits.

Internet has acclimated us to get anything we want on demand, and so many fall for these scams.

When you google “Maine Coon Kittens for Sale,” or crowdsource for them on Facebook, you will get hundreds of websites with adorable pets that somehow have not been reserved, selling for bottom-basement prices.

Here’s a screenshot of what looks like a scam site. (All pet scams use the same methods.)

Note the inexpensive prices and different backgrounds for each kitten. Breeders typically use the same background from their cattery.

Those photos featured here are likely pilfered from reputable breeders registered with the International Cat Association or Cat Fanciers’ Association. The kittens would cost thousands. But wait — there’s a sale on this site! You can get these gorgeous cats for $750 apiece.

If you click on “Buy Now,” you won’t be able to telephone this breeder. Everything will be done online through their websites. But wait — there’s more! You’ll get your kitten with a half-price shipping rate of a few hundred dollars.

It’s a bargain, and your pet will be shipped immediately.

You’ll be asked to pay via Venmo or Zelle or other pay site. As soon as you hit “send,” your money is lost.

By now you and perhaps your children have invested emotionally in a particular pet. You have become a prime target for more deception.

Here’s what comes next. You will be asked to cover boarding fees. Perhaps the pet has missed its flight or became ill and now you must pay for a ventilated cage as well as vet fees. And if you refuse, threats about pet abandonment and legal costs follow.

You will never get the kitten or pup.

These sites are so numerous that as soon as you report one to the website hosting company, the scammer simply creates another site with a new name and same script.

How to spot a scam

To check if you are dealing with a scammer, go to the “About” or “Testimonial” tab of the site. Select and copy a suspect sentence that does not sound quite right — perhaps one with an awkward word or seldom-used phrase. Then paste that suspicious sentence onto an internet search engine.

If it is a scam, you will see multiple websites with the same sentence, all offering kittens depicted with different backgrounds (because photos are stolen various from legitimate breeders).

Here’s a testimonial from the above site:

I put part of the testimonial in Google search, and this is what I got:

You can do an image search on Google to see if any of the kittens for sale appear on other websites. Here’s a video on how to do that:

I copied the image address of this kitten from the suspected scam site above (last row of images, first image, expanded here):

I put that photo into image search, and here are the results:

If you have been taken in by a scam, contact the Better Business Bureau and report the crime. Always check to see if the breeder is registered with the International Cat Association or Cat Fanciers’ Association. Ask the breeder for an address and if you can visit the facility.

If any deal is too good to be true, you already know the answer: it isn’t.

_{Parts of this post originally appeared in Michael Bugeja’s column published by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.}