20/09/2023
Facebook is infested with puppy scammers. Some set up individual profiles as “dog breeders” using photos stolen from legitimate owners. Others start private groups with titles like “puppies for rehoming” to attract people searching for a dog, whom they then target with private messages offering non-existent puppies for sale. Every day, people are sending thousands of pounds, dollars, and euros to these thieves, only to be left both out of pocket and emotionally bereft when their promised pet fails to appear.
For popular breeds the problem is huge. Back in 2021, Action Fraud said that more than £2.5 million had been lost to pet scammers from UK victims alone. Nationwide says that the average amount lost by victims was £1,400. And it’s a growing issue. In May, Lloyds Bank reported that pet scams have increased by 24% just this year, and that 50% of these scams start on Facebook or Instagram.
Both are run by Meta, which responds to all such reports by saying “We don’t allow the sale of animals on our platforms and we remove this content when we become aware of it.” When you look at how it actually operates, however, it’s very obvious that Meta is doing practically nothing to clamp down on animal sales, whether real or fake.
At the source end, Facebook’s algorithm does nothing to stop scammers posting multiple profiles and pages advertising animal sales. If you try to create a page with the title “Get Puppy Scams Off Facebook” the algorithm won’t accept it, because no-one is allowed to use the words “Facebook” or “Meta” in a page title. However, the page title “Puppies for Sale” is perfectly acceptable. Creating a new profile or group with the name “Puppies for Sale” is equally simple. And it’s just as easy to create a group called “Puppies for adoption,” “Puppies for rehoming,” or “Free puppies,” all of which are magnets for people looking for a dog who can then be targeted. In no case is there any check on whether or not the creator is a legitimate breeder or animal rescue.
At the other end, Facebook makes it very difficult for users to report fake profiles, pages, and groups as scams effectively. Individual posts and groups can be reported for unauthorized animal sales, but personally, having reported dozens of them, the only response I have ever received is the algorithmic message that “We’ve taken a look and found that this content doesn’t go against our Community Standards.” Attempting to report a profile or page itself as a scam does not generate a report to Facebook at all, just a note that says “Your feedback helps our system learn when something’s not right.” One profile that had been reported numerous times by multiple people in May was only recently deleted in September as one of the eight reported by Simon Brown.
As individuals, we can keep trying to take down people impersonating breeders. In particular, legitimate breeders can also look at the pages and identify stolen photographs, then report these to Facebook via email ([email protected]). This is much more likely to be effective than using the Report button.
But it’s like trying to stop a tsunami of sewage with a bucket and spade. Only central action by Meta will have any real effect.
Meta needs to prevent scammers from posting in the first place, and to make it easier for people to report them. If it doesn’t allow the sale of animals on its platforms, why does it allow pages, profiles, and groups clearly offering animals for sale to be created in the first place? Why is it not possible to report a profile or page as a scam breeder? And why are groups and posts reported for pretending to offer puppies for sale consistently reviewed as “not going against our Community Standards”?
I would like to encourage readers of this page to join me in putting pressure on Meta to take steps to reduce the number of puppy scams, which cause so much financial and emotional distress. Unfortunately, writing to Meta/Facebook directly is vanishingly unlikely to have any effect. But you might:
Get in touch with your country’s Kennel Club and ask that they raise awareness of FB puppy scams and what Meta could do to reduce them, as well as encouraging people to buy puppies only from approved breeders.
Write to national animal welfare organizations and ask that they raise awareness of FB puppy scams and what Meta could do to reduce them, as well as encouraging people to adopt from a reputable rescue organization rather than online.
In England, write to your MP and ask them to press the government to require Meta to ensure that all supposed puppy sellers are legitimate users who comply with Lucy’s Law in this country.
Write to local and national newspapers. (This will be exponentially more effective if you can point them in the direction of someone who has actually been the victim of a puppy scam, so they can make it a human interest story.)
If you’re on X (formerly Twitter), write a post tagging and (suggested hashtag ).
Put up a post reminding people to be vigilant of scammers on your own page, and share other people’s on whichever social media platforms you’re active.
