1. In recent months there has been a new scam of counterfeit cashier's checks (and money orders) which has received a lot of publicity. It has been used on eBay a lot. It has also been attempted on other types of internet sites.

2. For this reason, we are advising all of our sellers to accept only credit cards, cash, PayPal, or wire transfers for payments unless they know the person to whom they are selling their pets.

3. Here is how this scam usually works.

   • The scammer offers to pay the seller more than the asking price for the item.

   • The scammer then offers to pay with a cashier's check and asks the the seller to refund the difference in cash to pay for shipping.

   • Many people will fall for this trick because cashier's checks were always as good as gold until now.

4. For instance, if you are selling a pet for $500, the scammer would offer to pay you with a cashier's check for $1000, but would ask you to give the person, who will be picking up the pet, $500 in cash to be used to cover shipping and handling. If you give that person $500 and your pet, then you would have lost your pet plus $500, if the cashier's check is worthless.

5. Be alert for these scammers.

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