Pet scams on Gumtree South Africa
What happened
A documented pattern. Classifieds like Gumtree list pets from anyone and offer no buyer protection, so scam adverts are common: underpriced purebreds, stolen photos, and sellers who quickly move you off-platform to WhatsApp and push for a deposit and courier. Treat any Gumtree pet advert with caution: never pay a deposit or shipping before seeing the animal in person, verify breeders with the relevant registry, and meet locally. The platform will not refund you if it goes wrong.
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