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BBB Warning Re: Website Offering Monkeys & Birds For Sale In W. MI

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BBB

A new scam may be brewing in West Michigan.  This one involving Monkeys and birds of all things.

The Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan is warning consumers about a website that claims to have monkeys and birds for sale.  Here’s Communications Manager, Troy Baker.

“These exotic pets are they type that a lot of people would like to buy.  The problem is the more you look at it, the more red flags there are.”

Monkeys and birds for sale, dot com, claims to sell small monkeys for between $1,200 and $1,500 and parrots for $1,000. However, BBB has uncovered evidence that this website may be a scam. The website lists an address near Hickory Corners. MI. However, the owner of the property tells BBB they have no connection to the website, and do not know why the website is using their address.  Baker says it’s not uncommon for bad actors to use fake address.

“Because it gives that sense of confidence to a consumer that these people are real.  It’s not this unknown person out in the internet, look there’s here in West Michigan and it’s safe.”

Along with the fake address, BBB investigators found the phone number used by the company is also being used by a puppy scam website. In addition, some of the photos of the monkeys available for sale include a watermark for a Florida company that sells monkeys online.  Whatever the case, Baker says pet scams are among the riskiest scams every year.

“Because they prey on that emotional connection.  You’re waiting for it. And when someone asks you for a couple hundred extra dollars, you really are invested.  That leaves pet scams to be among the riskiest.”

So, if you are considering buying a pet the BBB has some advice.  They say you should shop local, do your research, know the law-especially about exotic pets, and search photos and phone numbers to see if they’re being used on other sites as well.  If you suspect anything suspicious, Baker says contact them at BBB.org/scamtracker. 

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.