In 2020 a study was undertaken by two UK academics to help criminologists better understand Non-delivery fraud in the context of cyber crime. The results of this research have published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology. See: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0004865820957077
Our comment archives (2016-2020) were utilized under the agreement of anonymity to crucially identify which species and breeds victims of fraud were most susceptible to lose their money on when attempting to purchase online. The results identified that victims have been complaining not only about the non-delivery of puppies, but also pedigree kittens and exotic birds.
Table A: Victim Complaints on Pet Deposit Payments
| Breed | Number of Victims | Total Loss Per Breed (USD) | Average Loss per Victim (USD) |
| Puppies | |||
| Akita | 2 | $2,599.00 | $1,299.50 |
| Australian Shepherd | 4 | $2,050.00 | $512.50 |
| Beagle | 5 | $2,647.00 | $529.40 |
| Bernedoodle | 5 | $6,950.00 | $1,390.00 |
| Bichon Frise | 4 | $3,400.00 | $850.00 |
| Border Collie | 1 | $1,550.00 | $1,550.00 |
| Boston Terrier | 2 | $3,100.00 | $1,550.00 |
| Boxer | 4 | $1,750.00 | $437.50 |
| Bulldog | 72 | $61,877.43 | $859.41 |
| Cane Corso | 6 | $7,050.00 | $1,175.00 |
| Cavoodle | 2 | $2,300.00 | $1,150.00 |
| Chihuahua | 11 | $7,470.00 | $679.09 |
| Chow Chow | 6 | $3,387.00 | $564.50 |
| Cockapoo | 2 | $2,250.00 | $1,125.00 |
| Corgi | 17 | $18,700.00 | $1,100.00 |
| Dachsund | 12 | $8,197.50 | $683.12 |
| Doberman | 4 | $6,135.00 | $1,533.75 |
| German Shepherd | 2 | $1,270.00 | $635.00 |
| Golden Doodle | 4 | $3,400.00 | $850.00 |
| Golden Retriever | 1 | $550.00 | $550.00 |
| Great Dane | 7 | $6,850.00 | $978.57 |
| Havanese | 1 | $500.00 | $500.00 |
| Husky | 6 | $9,800.00 | $1,633.33 |
| Jack Russell | 3 | $2,035.00 | $678.33 |
| Labradoodle | 3 | $3,660.00 | $1,220.00 |
| Labrador | 6 | $5,225.40 | $870.90 |
| Maltese | 13 | $11,071.50 | $851.65 |
| Papillon | 1 | $800.00 | $800.00 |
| Pinscher | 2 | $1,400.00 | $700.00 |
| Pitbull | 14 | $8,649.00 | $617.79 |
| Pomeranian | 40 | $35,239.41 | $880.99 |
| Pomsky | 4 | $2,060.00 | $515.00 |
| Poodle | 18 | $16,150.00 | $897.22 |
| Pug | 17 | $13,310.00 | $782.94 |
| Retriever | 4 | $2,132.76 | $533.19 |
| Samoyed | 4 | $2500.00 | $625.00 |
| Schnauzer | 8 | $4,835.00 | $604.38 |
| Shihtzu | 15 | $9,000.00 | $600.00 |
| Spaniel | 3 | $1,950.00 | $650.00 |
| Yorkshire Terrier | 15 | $10,296.99 | $686.47 |
| Kittens | |||
| Bengal | 7 | $6,822.00 | $974.57 |
| British Shorthair | 4 | $2,450.00 | $612.50 |
| Maine Coon | 14 | $12,939.00 | $924.21 |
| Persian | 5 | $3,050.00 | $610.00 |
| Russian Blue | 3 | $2,030.00 | $676.67 |
| Savannah | 1 | $5,920.00 | $5,920.00 |
| Siamese | 1 | $499.00 | $499.00 |
| Exotic Birds | |||
| Macaw | 2 | $1,500.00 | $750.00 |
| Parrot | 6 | $6,022.50 | $1,003.75 |
The authors also identified from our data that pet scammers from Cameroon are primarily targeting the USA with loss amounts also being recorded in Australia and South Africa. It’s worth noting that the result shown in Table B do not represent all of our complaints (we have over 8,000!) but they were instead recorded when a monetary loss amount was specified.
Table B: Recorded Complaints Per Country (2016-2020)
| Country | Number of Complainants | Loss Range | Average Loss Per Victim | Total Acc. Losses |
| Australia | 4 | AUD 750.00 – AUD 2,000 | AUD 1,287.50 | AUD 5,150.00 |
| USA | 466 | USD 55.00 – USD 10,300.00 | USD 952.21 | USD 443,730.48 |
| South Africa | 11 | ZAR 1,500 – 40,000 | ZAR 8,045.45 | ZAR 88,500.00 |
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