Tortoise sale - SCAMS

Alaskamike

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Tortoise for sale - scams.
Just a note. For those new folks who are just starting and maybe haven't got your first tortoise.

There are MANY scammers out there looking to take your money and never deliver. If a deal sounds too good to be true - it's a good bet it's a scam.

This is especially true for the rare and expensive - the Galapagos, Aldabras, indian Stars , Adult breeding pairs , etc.

Getting a tortoise off a reptile site where anyone can post ads is risky. Very. Before I found a reputable breeder ( Aldabraman) here in Florida , I contacted a number of people and companies advertising Aldabras.
Many replied and were good solid companies and honest , but several were obvious scams. How do you know the difference?

Here are some clues
- the price is way cheap. Come on , your not getting a tortoise that goes for $1,500 and up anywhere else for $500
- they have no reputable referrals. Names , numbers , of people who will vouch for them.
- they require a wire transfer. Very risky.
- you can't do local pick up. And here is a " trick". If you suspect something fishy , tell them you have a relative close to where they are who will bring them cash , take the tortoise and ship the tortoise to you. If they balk at this it's not legit.
- even if an ad is run on the tortoise forum , there should be some history you can check out. Are they new? Can you look back at their history on the forum? How are they on the phone ?
- the photos of the tortoise are taken from the Internet ( yes I've seen this!)

Here's the thing. When you want a tortoise to become part of your life, the health and sturdiness of that pet is important. Saving a few dollars on the initial purchase is sometimes Not advised. And could leave you empty handed.

Good fortune
Mike
 

wellington

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To add to the above clues:
They usually are not in the United States, even if the ad reads like they are.
Their ad will be in several places, all sounding like they are local.
They will say all papers and/or permits are available. MOST tortoise species don't need any kind of papers or permits.
 

G-stars

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I actually contacted someone scamming by using pictures taken from this forum. I knew I had seen the pics somewhere so I looked around and sure enough it was from here. I asked for more pics to prove it. They never sent more, or replied to any of my other emails once I started asking too many questions about the animal.


— Gus
 

Yellow Turtle01

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Tell tale signs of a scammer! :D
There have been a couple threads of peoples discovering a tortoise scam (that I know of!) and it's actually quite funny to see how the conversation goes! It was a long time ago (I'll look!) but I remember a scammer who was selling Aldabra torts for ridiculously cheap and the whole thing was sooo funny, because the prospective 'buyer' posted the whole thing... I'm terrible at quoting things correctly from memory, so I'll go look now...
Great idea to say this, though, them scammers are out there!

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-enjoyment-of-annoying-scammers.96377/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/scam-¿.96209/page-1
 
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Peytons torts

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I have a question is $5000 dollars cheap for shipping 5 adult hermanns out of country?
 

tortadise

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I have a question is $5000 dollars cheap for shipping 5 adult hermanns out of country?
Cheap? Um no that's ridiculous, cites permit cost 100 bucks and freight to let's say Germany will run 400-800 depending on the weight and size of box and destination. Are you sending them somewhere or receiving? If receiving I'd like to know more details because that's very expensive.
 

Peytons torts

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I am receiving them from England I live in the U.S. And the seller told me it would cost a lot because of shipment and paying agents I have been waiting for all of the paperwork to be done for about 2 1/2 months now
 

Peytons torts

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Cheap? Um no that's ridiculous, cites permit cost 100 bucks and freight to let's say Germany will run 400-800 depending on the weight and size of box and destination. Are you sending them somewhere or receiving? If receiving I'd like to know more details because that's very expensive.


Answer up there ^
 

G-stars

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Maybe put out a wanted ad? Or someone here can point you in the right direction.


— Gus
 

tortadise

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I have tried to find females im looking for about 4 and 1 male
A member just posted that exact ratio in the for sale section. I'd say that's a scam. Cites takes a very short time to obtain, brokers can be notified by a simple phone/email and shipping can be done within a day to a week of all this. Just doesn't sound right. That's way too expensive and way too long. Plenty of Herman's here. Be patient and don't fall for tricks. It will cost you alt of money.
 
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