There are currently multiple active pet sitting/pet professional scams. All are versions of the very common "cashiers check" scam. The basic scam involves a scammer looking for some sort of "help" or services. To cover the costs of the services the scammer sends a cashiers check or money order for an amount in excess of the amount due. The service provider receives the check, cashes it and is then instructed to mail the excess amount to another individual. (An uncle, a son, a vet, etc.) In a week or two the service provider is informed by their bank that the check/money order is fake and is now out the entire amount of the cashed check.

Some basic rules of thumb to keep yourself and your business from falling for a scam:
* Never accept a form of payment that requires you to send money on to another person.
* Never deposit a cashier's check sent from out of the country by a stranger.
* Be aware of scam red flags such as poor grammar, overly praising you for your help, or a sob story (my pet needs to get out of the country for it's safety").
* If you feel you are being targeted by a scammer, replying to them does no good. Just ignore, delete, and move on. Often scammers send out hundreds of e-mails hoping just one person will reply.

Below are versions of active scams directed at animal lovers and pet professionals and their particulars.

If you receive a different version of this or any other scam please forward it to uspetpros so your fellow pet professionals can be aware of any new developments.

Scam - Pet Sitting Services Needed
Scam - Pet Receiving/Training (#1)
Scam - Pet Receiving/Training(#2)
Scam - Pet Sitting Services Needed - Two Months