Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I checked a post from a couple of days ago on the Kingsnake forum about a scammer. Read several examples of scams on there. (Kinda' scary)
I thought it was a good wake-up call for everyone (including me) to remain vigilant and IT NEVER hurts to ask for a little background information from ANY buyer/seller if you're not familiar with them. Usually when you do that, most scammers get nervous and suddenly break all contact with you or send you an ugly e-mail.

Here's my personal experience: I had my run in with a scammer from CALIFORNIA earlier this year as I was trying to purchase a patternless goini from him. When I tried to get more info such as name check, address, phone number and other business info as well as info about the snake in more detail it became evident to HIM that I wasn't just going to send him a 150 bucks with NO strings attached! After my last e-mail to him, he suddenly disappeared of the face of the earth - and still havn't seen his name on the classifieds since then. - I didn't get the goini, but he didn't get a 150 bucks either!!!
Just thought everyone should NOT forget about the dishonest folks out there! (Fortunately there are only a few - Unfortuantely there ARE a few!)
I HATE THIEVES TO DEATH!!! Sorry for being so honest. . .

Zee

i know what you mean i went through that a few months ago, with a sugar glider..... shame people have to be so dishonest

...........
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Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps
PO Box 254
Rogersville, MO 65742

Hey, that's a nice looking corn you got there, man!

Zee

thanx, i plan to breed it next year i want to atleast, ill have to give you one .

i myself work in a petshop which deals in exotics, snakes, parrots, lizards etc. and it was through work that i came across one of the worst scams i have found.

we had a customer come in the shop, telling us that they had purchased a parrot out of the local loot (classifieds paper) they said, and i quote

"we bort a hand reared amazon parrot yesterday out of the loot, the man brort it round and it was all cuddly and friendly and playfull. but we woke up this morning and it wont let us near it, it screams and bites if you try to get hold of it"

we knew that this was unusual behaviour for a hand reared bird so started asking questions the main one being "how much did you pay?", they said they had paid £500 for a bird and cage. we explained that if they had paid for a non-humanised bird (i.e. wild) they have paid OTT should have been only around £250-300, but if they have got a hand reared bird, they got it cheap as should be around £650 with a cage.
we decided that the best way to know would be for them to bring him in in the cage and let us see for our selves.

so later that day they come in with a "amazon parrot", or what they had been told was a amazon parrot...

tell you what if it was a amazon parrot it was doing a really really really good impression of a nandaya conure. a bird which fully hand reared is only worth about £300 with a cage.
we explained to them that for one that is no way a amazon parrot, and two they there was no way that bird in question had been hand reared as it nearly took my boss's hand off when he handled it. we told them that the best thing they could do was to get back in touch with the man that sold them it and get a refund.
the problem was the advert in the paper was with a mobile phone number, and when ever they tried to ring it, it came up with "number not in use" turns out that said seller/dealer had purchased a mobile sim card just for that transaction/ripp off, and then had discontinued it as soon as the sale had gone through, and as the seller had taken the animal to the ladys house...they had to adress to go back to either.

that is how horrible some people can be

ive never been scammed with snakes but my parents were scammed with a house
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)

Ouch!!! Sorry to hear that! Well, it goes to show you that you can't trust ANYONE for the most part . . .Not even from the pet trade to Houses!!!
Sure wish Adam hadn't eaten that frickn' apple!!!

Zee