STOP buying pets off social media - Animal charities and vets warn against social media pet sales this Christmas to avoid being scammed

Leading animal welfare charities and vets have joined forces to warn unsuspecting animal lovers about buying a new furry friend this Christmas, particularly through social media.

The warning comes after research from the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) showed that 19% of all adverts reviewed were flagged as being a potential scam.

Although many social media sites have rules around pet sales, the group warn there is little to no moderation, making it difficult to protect both animals and buyers against sellers who prioritise profit over an animal's health and welfare.

The advice comes today on Cyber Monday, a time of year when buyers could be more vulnerable to falling victim to a dodgy advert. Despite advice from charities advising that Christmas isn’t a good time to add the pressure of a new pet to busy festive homes, there will be those looking to buy a new dog, cat, rabbit or other household pet in time for Christmas, who will be at risk of falling victim to scams or funding irresponsible breeders and sellers.

The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), made up of Dogs Trust, Cats Protection and other animal welfare organisations, trade associations and veterinary bodies including Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, The Kennel Club, Woodgreen and Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund, was set up to tackle irresponsible advertising of pets. Research by the group has now found that 94%* of social media adverts reviewed of pets for sale would not meet PAAG’s Advertising Standards. These guidelines are in place to prioritise animal welfare and stop scams. 80% of adverts of young animals didn’t have an image of the pet with its mother, which could mean the animal was removed prematurely from its mother, for example from being smuggled into the country.

Across social media, 19% of all adverts reviewed by experts were flagged as being a suspected scam. Common types of scams on social media include coercing buyers into paying a deposit for a pet that doesn’t exist, or sellers lying about the health of animal. 

As well as urging consumers to not buy pets on social media, PAAG is calling on social media companies to do more to protect animal welfare and have today written to Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to urge them to close the loopholes in their policies which allow people to sell pets on their platforms. This should include prohibiting posts or adverts where the selling is encouraging people to buy through the platform.

Unlike classified sites such as Gumtree, Preloved and Pets4Homes, which have committed to following the Advertising Standards set out by PAAG, social media platforms simply define their own rules on pet sales, with little oversight. PAAG research found that 89% of pet ads on social media breached the sites’ own rules for pet sales.

For more information visit www.paag.org.uk/advertising-standards

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

*A review of dog, cat and rabbit adverts on social media websites (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) took place between 20^th May and 3^rd June 2024. 507 items (adverts/groups/pages) were reviewed by over 40 volunteers across six organisations (Dogs Trust, Cats Protection, Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund, Woodgreen, Kennel Club)

About the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG)

The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) was created in 2001 to combat growing concerns regarding the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming, and exchange. The Group comprises animal welfare organisations, trade associations and veterinary bodies. Defra, DAERA in Northern Ireland, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government have endorsed PAAG. PAAG aims to ensure that pet animals advertised for sale are done so legally and ethically.