This jerk tried to scam me as well and is now listing homes for rent under my name.  Annoying!  I reported him to the FTC!

CRAIGSLIST SCAMM:

To: "btanyal@yahoo.com" <btanyal@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2013 7
Subject: Daisy Female Yorkie terrier $175 (Elko)
http://elko.craigslist.org/pet/4057689946.html

RESPONSE:
Hi how are you doing? Thanks for the interest in adopting Daisy my female Yorkshire Terrier. This little girl is still very much available for adoption. She is 14 weeks old is potty trained and very friendly with children.  AKC reg, Adorable and sociable with great Personalities and very good bloodlines. vet-checked, up to date on shots and deforming, and are health guaranteed. All the papers will accompany the puppy, Right now I am on a Geological field work to Tribeca,NYC and i have the puppy right here with me. I am going to ship her to you via express delivery, so if you are interested in adopting her, kindly get back to me with your full shipping information and the nearest airport to you.  I need a caring family who is going to provide a safe environment with tons of love for my baby, i am only giving her up for adoption because of the project here before me and i feel there is a loving family out there who would shower her with more love and take very good care of her.  Her adoption fee is $175 and its payable to the shipping company directly so she can be properly documented, So kindly email me with your full shipping information and cell so i can make the shipping arrangement to you.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Cheers!
Tanya
716 218 8640

(SCAMM)

Holy cow!  I JUST got the same email response about a chihuahua pup on Craigslist for $180. Almost the exact same wording in the body of the message. I had emailed them back with more detailed questions since I was surprised that they said they were in NYC instead of Minneapolis like the ad listed. But I did not provide any personal info, thank goodness!  Now I'm pissed off!

They said:

Hi how are you doing? Thanks for the interest in adopting my tiny female chihuahua. This little girl is still very much available for adoption. She is 12 weeks old is potty trained and very friendly with children. AKC reg, Adorable and sociable with great Personalities and very good bloodlines. vet-checked, up to date on shots and deworming, and is health guaranteed.. All the papers will accompany the puppy, Right now I am on a Geological field work to Tribeca,NYC and i have the puppy right here with me. I am going to ship her to you via express delivery, so if you are interested in adopting her, kindly get back to me with your full shipping information and the nearest airport to you.  I need a caring family who is going to provide a safe environment with tons of love for my baby, i am only giving her up for adoption because of the project here before me and i feel there is a loving family out there who would shower her with more love and take very good care of her.  Her rehoming fee is $180, So kindly email me with your full shipping information and cell so i can make the shipping arrangement to you.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Cheers!

Who is behind this number??

Obvious scammer.

But, the CL terms of service prohibit buying and selling of pets.  $170 is not a legitimate rehoming fee unless this was an established animal rescue group recouping costs, nor is it a legitimate Yorkie sale price.  Instead,  it is a "fell off the back of the truck", "wanna buy a flat screen?" bargain hot item price.  

I don't do a lot of rescue, but on the rare occasions when I have done so with an animal I could not give a permanent home to, I have never charged a rehoming fee - any expenses were my problem.  I do understand the need for formal rescues to recoup expenses, but individuals should simply focus on who the adopter is, not getting back what they freely gave on the animal's behalf.

So, shame on you for contacting someone selling pets on CL, scammer or not.  You are contributing to the very serious problems regarding pets on CL.  There are many cases of pets being stolen, or adopted under the pretense of offering a forever home, only to sell the animal for a tidy profit on CL.

I realize Yorkies are in high demand, but I worked the shelters and adopted a purebred (genetically tested) Maltese from the local shelter - he was a puppy mill rescue.  If I had been patient I could have found a Yorkie.  They do come up, believe it or not.

If you just have to have a Yorkie, and can't do the legwork of checking petfinder and similar web sites, or visting the shelter on a regular basis, then find a reputable breeder.  Ask the vets in your area - they see the breeders and their pups all the time.  In fact, I just saw a nice Yorkie litter at my vets, and met the breeder who brought them in.  (I confess, I am an animal lover and was tempted.  But I have a house full, including various exotics, so...)

Scammers often succeed because people are out doing something they really shoudln't be.  It makes you more vulnerable and easier to manipulate.  PLEASE do not buy animals on CL.  Find a reputable breeder.  And PLEASE do not encourage the "tea cup" dog trade.  If you don't know why, do an Internet search.

Finally, I hope you find the right dog, and that you have a long and happy life together.

Good Luck.

I just got an email from a Nancy and John Davidson about a yorkie they had on craigslist.  They only wanted 170 for her and had a cute picture of a yorkie puppy.  She said she was in New York and would ground ship her to me.  She wanted my address, cell phone # and nearest airport. They just sent me a text and asked for my shipping address.  Here is the email they sent me

Hi,
How are you doing? Thanks for the interest in adopting Matilda. This little girl is still very much available for adoption. She is 10 weeks old is potty trained and very friendly with children. Won't weigh much when fully grown, probably 4-5 lbs. This little girl has a very sweet personality. She spends many hours during the day being held and talked to.Her tail has been docked and dew claws removed, vet-checked, up to date on shots and deworming, She is a tiny pocket size, guarantee you will fall in love with her, Looking for a special home for her. Right now we are on a Geological field work to Tribeca,NYC and we have Matilda right here with me. We are going to transport her to you via ground delivery, so if you are interested in adopting her, kindly get back to us with your shipping info.

Name: .............?
Address where you want her delivered to: ...........?
Cell phone: ............?
Name of nearest airport: ..............?

We need a caring family who is going to provide a safe environment with tons of love for my baby, we are only giving her up for adoption because of the project here before us and we feel there is a loving family out there who would shower her with more love and take very good care of her. Her adoption fee is $170, So kindly email me with your full shipping information, cell # and why you think you're the perfect person to adopt her.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Regards,
Nancy and John Davidson
E-mail : nancydavidson757@yahoo.com
Phone : 701-595-0179

Lady says that she has a bulldog for 175 then said 300 wanted to sent to me in fl from New York she wanted western union. Such a scam

I responded to ad for a Bulldog puppy on craigslist.  Only 155.00 adoption fee.  He wants me to send him shipping address to send the dog.... from New York to Jacksonville.  If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.  These dogs go for $2000.00... why doesn't he just find a home for him in NY instead of FL?  I'm glad I googled his number.... the email he sent said name was Lizzy and John Smith... yet he had a very odd accent.

Yup he is a scammer. Just caught him. Says he is in California but gave me a North Dakota phone number. His profile says he is from New Jersey. He goes by Leberge clay. email: laberclay @gmail.com.

This is a scammer from Nigeria.  He ran an ad on Craigslist and tried to rent me a house that does not belong to him after reading an obituary on the real owner.  He asks you to wire him money via Western Union.  He also called me from a number in Nigeria claiming that he and his wife are on mission work.