Horse Talk

[SelectHorseSale]

We recently received the following email from one of our members.

I recently tried to buy a 7 year old Freisian named Vanson from Horsetopia, only to find out that Vanson and his brother Ruddy are the bait for a scam run out of FL and Cameroon. This information cost me $2750 before I got wise and pulled the plug. I just Googled these horses and found virtually the same ad on your site for a 7 year old Frieisian named Ruddy Vanson. Please be advised: This ad is part of a scam and should be pulled before someone else gets hurt.

This listing has since been removed from our site, but please do take note of the above and be aware as you're attempting to find your ideal horse online.

[SelectHorseSale]

Here are a few more details about how this scam was perpetrated.

I was first attracted to the ad because it claimed that the horses
were in Milwaukee (I live in WI), but when I emailed the supposed
owner, she said that she'd been moved to Spain by her job and that the
horses had been relocated to her mother's place in Florida. She was
so eager to find them a new home that she offered to deduct the cost
of shipping one back to WI for my inspection if I would pay for the
transportation. Throughout, she came across as sincere and
knowledgeable about horses, if not very literate. I paid the shipping
fee by money order to someone in Ft. Lauderdale.

Then the phone calls started. The caller (a foreign speaker, on a
bad, unlisted line) directed me to a website where I could track the
progress of the horse. It was quite an elaborate set up, pass word
protected. He also demanded $2,000 in supposedly refundable insurance
to be sent to Cameroon. That stuck me as very odd, but I still
believed in the seller and when I contacted her again she said that
she'd checked with the district manager of the shipper and that this
was common practice. So I sent another money order.

Then they sent a vet bill claiming that the horse needed various
vaccinations for conditions I'd never heard of. It was a fancy bill,
but without any return address or phone number. Also, it was full of
spelling errors.

This time I called the police and reported the operation as a scam.
Also, I reported it as internet fraud. The odds of justice, however,
are slim.

And that's my sad story. Think of it as a cautionary tale.

[SelectHorseSale]

This type of scam seems to be more and more common. We've seen this with Gypsy horses and with the Freisians discussed in the above posts.
This scam almost always involves some type of international connection. The common factor to help detect this type of scam is that the owner won't be able to get you up to date pics or info on the horse because they don't actually have the horse. It will also be impossible for some legitimate sounding reason for you to see the horse in person.
To protect yourself from this do everything possible to see the horse before you make the purchase. Sometimes this is difficult, especially when you're buying a horse that is a long distance away from you. In this case, make sure that you have names, addresses and phone numbers of the people that are selling you the horse. Speak with them over the phone at least once and get up to date pictures and video of the horse showing all sides.
Lastly, while it's common to pay for a horse and shipping before it's shipped to you, it's not common for there to be any extra fees that aren't discussed before the sale. Settle on a cost including shipping and stick to that. Refuse to pay for any additional expenses.

[latrewsBlasia]

Hi, people