A recent surge of posts about pet adoptions in Singapore Facebook groups has sparked concerns online.
Some of these Facebook posts, written with dubious grammar and phrasing, were apparently posted by new or unverified users.
One of the posters, when contacted, reportedly asked for a S$2,000 "adoption fee".
Sellers could not prove ownership of animals
Charlene Yang posted in the Dogs Singapore Facebook group on Jun. 19 that many adoption posts had recently been circulated in the group but were later removed by administrators.
She believes that they were scams.
Here are some examples she called out in her post:
Image from Charlene Yang/Facebook.
She said that when she contacted one of the users herself, she was convinced that the person was a "scammer".
Yang said some red flags were that the user allegedly could not produce other recent photos of the animals, proof of ownership, or vaccination documents and locked the comments section of their post.
Another group administrator, commenting on Yang's post, said scammers may trick victims into paying "some form of deposit".
For instance, one member was apparently asked to pay a S$15 deposit for an "adoption reservation", the admin wrote.
Surge in adoption posts from new, unverified users
An administrator, Ronnie Sun, confirmed that they have been deleting "potential scam posts" daily.
Screenshot of comment from Charlene Yang / Dogs Singapore.
He said that there had been a surge in adoption posts for cats and dogs, mostly posted by overseas profiles, with many featuring similar profiles and messages.
Sun added that these adoption were mostly posted by new or unverified individuals.
He thus urged members to be vigilant and thoroughly check the credibility of any adoption listings.
Identical listings shared by different users
A Jun. 18 "Complaint Singapore" post also called out suspicious adoption listings shared on several Singapore Facebook groups, including pet, rental, and even foodie groups.
Sometimes, virtually identical listings would be shared by different users for the same pet.
Screenshot from Complaint Singapore.
While the pets were certainly cute, the phrasing of the post might sound like they were written by AI.
For instance:
"During the temporary care, the dog can be held, loves to play and feed, and has high obedience."
Or:
"He is at the dog park."
The "adoption conditions" might also leave one bewildered — such as mandatory "outdoor breeding" and "barn inspection".
The adopter also needs to be someone with a "love of opera".
Quoted S$2,000 for "adoption fee"
Another suspicious post, by user "Alex Zhang", supposedly putting up a two-and-a-half year old Teddy dog for "paid or free" adoption, was investigated by a Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min) reporter.
Screenshot from Complaint Singapore.
However, "Alex" told their reporter there were some "conditions to be met" for the adoption to be free, Shin Min reported.
For instance, prospective dog owners need to have experience raising dogs, a stable job and income, their own home, and enough time and energy to care for the dog.
If not, the adoption fee charged would be S$2,000, "Alex" said.
"Alex's" post has been taken down from Facebook as of Jun. 24.
SPCA reply
According to the Singapore Prevention for Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) website, their standard adoption fees range from S$10 for hamsters and gerbils, and up to S$350 for dogs.
These fees cover vaccination, sterilisation, deworming and microchipping with registration.
SPCA executive director Aarthi Sankar told Mothership that prospective adopters can ensure authenticity by adopting from an animal welfare group or shelter and by seeing the animal in person before finalising the adoption.
"If they are adopting the animal from a private source, extra care should be taken to verify that the individual is not a backyard breeder," she added.
Sankar also referenced an article by the Animal Legal Defense Fund which highlights red flags to look out for in potential pet adoption scams.
These include:
- Ads that offer limited information about the animal
- Sellers that don't ask for much information about the adopter
- Suspicious photos, descriptions, or contact information
- Limited opportunities to see the animal in person
- Payment methods that make it harder to recover in case of fraud
Top image from Scam Alert by United Singapore / Facebook