Paid a deposit for something you never saw? Fake stores, puppies, cars and caravans

The caravan is priced $8,000 under everything else on the market, because the owner is moving overseas next week. The puppy is gorgeous, but the breeder is in a town you’ve never heard of and the pup can be flown to you. The boots are 70% off in an ad that keeps following you around Facebook. Each one is a different story with the same plot: something you want, a reason you can’t see it first, and a request to pay in a way that can’t be undone.

The three versions, one engine

Fake stores are built in an afternoon: stolen product photos, a plausible name, a brand-new domain, ads on Facebook and Instagram at prices that make you skip the questions. You pay; nothing arrives, or a $4 trinket arrives so the charge looks “fulfilled”. Puppy and pet scams use photos of animals that don’t exist and a breeder who’s always just too far to visit; the deposit is followed by shipping, then a “climate-controlled crate”, then insurance, each one refundable, none of them real. Vehicle and caravan scams put the seller interstate, deployed, or bereaved, with a transport company that will deliver — after a deposit that holds it, then a transport fee, then a customs or escrow fee.

The escalation is the tell. A real seller takes one payment. A scammer takes the first, then discovers a reason for a second, because you’ve already proven you’ll pay.

The tells, before you pay

• The price is the ad. Well under market with a reason attached — moving, divorce, deployment, clearance.
• A reason you can’t inspect. FIFO, interstate, overseas, sick relative. There is always one.
• Bank transfer or PayID only. “Card machine is broken”, “PayPal fees”, “bank transfer is quicker”.
• Their transport company. One you’ve never heard of, with its own fees.
• A brand-new website. Fake stores are days old; check when the domain was registered, or paste the link into our free checker.
• No ABN, no landline, no street address — or ones that don’t match when you look them up.
• Photos that appear elsewhere. A reverse image search finds the real listing, often overseas, often years old.

What to do

1. Before paying: insist on seeing it — in person, or a live video call where you direct the camera. A real seller will do this. Pay by card, or on collection.
2. Check the seller. ABN Lookup for a business; a reverse image search on the photos; the domain’s age. Thirty seconds each.
3. If you already paid by transfer: ring your bank on the number on your card immediately and ask them to attempt a recall. Then report to Scamwatch. Don’t pay any further “release” fee — that’s the same scam, second round.
4. If you paid by card: you’re in a far better position. Ask your bank for a chargeback for goods not received.

Common questions