[DaySleepers]

For sure. Weird money transfer methods and pressure to PAY PAY PAY RIGHT NOW are huge red flags. Now I did get my older boy through Craigslist, but when dealing with someone claiming to rehome on one of those sites I'd never pay sight unseen. Money exchanges hands when I'm physically there picking up the dog/pup, end of story (which also gives me a chance to better evaluate whether they're legit or a commercial breeding operation/broker).

 

[DaySleepers]

A pet seller/breeder 'acting fast' to the point where they can't show you the puppy isn't a pet seller or breeder. They're a scam artist. The intense pressuring for you to pay ASAP before you can think too much about how suspicious it is is classic - and yes, there may well be more scams like this out there because of the current demand for puppies/dogs.

It's a good idea to run any photos you do get from these kinds of sellers through a reverse image search like tineye.com. If the photo pops up elsewhere on the internet, they've probably just ripped it from some website and it's more proof the puppy doesn't exist.