Puppy scams in Colombia: how to spot them

The pattern repeats. A social media profile or a listing on a classifieds site posts photos of puppies of a much-searched breed — Maltipoo, Border Collie, Bernese Mountain Dog — at a price that looks like a stroke of luck. The photos usually belong to someone else.

Whoever asks gets quick, friendly replies, and soon a reason to rush: one puppy left, another family interested, the price going up tomorrow. Then comes the request for a deposit by bank transfer to “hold” the puppy, or for the full amount plus shipping. Sometimes there is a second charge: a special travel crate, insurance, a transport permit. Once the money is gone for good, so is the profile.

The Fiscalía’s July 2026 warning, as reported in the press, describes people being deceived both when looking for a purebred puppy and when trying to adopt, and it stresses one sign: a price that is too low.

• The price. If the market advertises a breed at between COP 2,000,000 and COP 5,000,000 and someone offers it for a fraction of that, it is not generosity.
• The rush. A serious breeder asks about your home and your routine before talking about dates. A scammer is only ever in a rush.
• No video call. There is always an excuse: bad signal, the puppy is asleep, it is out at the farm.
• No mother. The photos show puppies alone, spotless, against a catalog backdrop.
• Payment only by transfer to a personal account, with no contract and no document identifying who receives it.
• Handover in a public place, or through a courier nobody can name.
• The photos show up in other ads. A reverse image search takes a minute.

1. A live video call. Ask to see the puppy, its littermates and the mother, and ask them to say your name or hold up a piece of paper with the date. A recording does not count.
2. Identity. Full name or registered company name, national ID (cédula) or NIT (tax ID), and an address. The Consumer Statute requires anyone who sells to identify themselves.
3. The veterinarian. The name and professional license number of whoever signs the vaccination record. Call the clinic.
4. The parents’ health tests, with dates and documents. If the answer is “they’re healthy, trust me,” there are none.
5. The contract before the money. The deposit, the handover date and what happens if something goes wrong should all be in writing.
6. The puppy’s age. Under eight weeks is too soon, no matter who is offering.
7. How the puppy is handed over. In person, somewhere that is not the street. If a flight is involved, in the cabin and with a companion.

If even one of the seven fails, it is worth asking why. If three fail, send nothing.

For two reasons that point the same way. The first is practical: in a parking lot you cannot see where the puppy was born or meet its mother, and whoever hands it over is gone in two minutes. The second is legal: Decree 780 of 2016, which contains the health regulations, does not allow selling animals in the street, and cities such as Bogotá and Bucaramanga also prohibit it in public market squares.

A breeder who follows the rules has no need to meet you at a bus station. That is why our handovers are always in person and never in the street.

Keep everything: screenshots of the ad and the profile, the full conversation, the transfer receipt and the account number. Tell your bank immediately; a recent transfer can sometimes be held. File a report with the Fiscalía, which has online channels for this, and report the profile on the platform where you found it.

Do not pay a second charge “to release the shipment.” It is the same scam, continued.

They exist, and the Fiscalía mentions them alongside the ones involving sellers. The hook is a purebred puppy “up for adoption” for which you only have to pay transport or a few vaccines. Serious foundations and animal welfare centers do not charge a stranger in advance or send animals by courier. If you want to adopt, go in person. We cover it in Adopt a dog or go to a breeder?.