Scams, Hoaxes, and Lies - A reminder to stay safe!

[Lucille]

Here is a neat site you can use to check whether a picture you have received of a finch (or anything else) has been used prior on the internet. If you see that it has been used many times over many years, that's a good tipoff that the sender is not sending you an original pic, so if they are saying it is a pic of their pet finch they are selling, it is a red flag.


Tin-eye

[Sally]

This should come in handy, especially when looking at birds that are offered on craigslist or other internet sites, since those are the places that often use someone else's photos.

[debbie276]

You can also right click on an image and click "search google for this image"

[Lucille]

If someone suggests something to you that you know is wrong, just don't deal with them. Don't try to find a different way to deal with them, just walk away. (You can tell them why you are walking away, but just don't talk to them after that).
USPS has pretty specific rules about shipping chicks and birds. Adult canaries and finches cannot be shipped USPS because they are under 6 ounces, but someone recently offered to do just that.
It isn't only us that might get scammed and our money taken, we have to look out for the well being of the birds we buy, sell, and keep.

[Lucille]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but what to do if you have been scammed?

Keep all correspondence.
Communicate by email instead of telephone, so there is a record of what is said. (And of course, be courteous)
Send an email to the vendor and point out what you feel you are owed.

If the vendor is uncooperative or does not answer:
Make a report to the BBB

Most states have a consumer fraud department, and most of these have online complaint forms. The services of a state consumer fraud department are free (not really, but you have funded them with your tax dollars). While your complaint may not bring concrete results, several; complaints about a particular vendor may well result in an investigation.

Some bird transactions are high dollar. Each state has a small claims court. Generally there is a small filing fee, and the cost to serve the other party. There are rules and limits, for the specifics you can search your own state's small claims court system online. Sometimes even if you win you have to go to court a second time to enforce the judgment. Still, if you have spend thousands of dollars, it is an option which does not require that you hire legal representation.

[Spreckles]

Ugh this is scary. Unfortunately for me where I live there are NO finch breeders other than zebra's which I don't want. Sorry if you love them. Pied society are available from local pet stores and I bought one. I am waiting for an order from The Finch Farm. Airline travel was cost prohibitive. Hopefully we will have a good outcome.
If I learn more maybe I can have some babies but right now I just like to have my little buddies enjoying their lives and singing their songs.