How do you know if the person thats selling you a monkey isnt a scam?

Question

I'm planning on purchasing a Capuchin baby monkey and the person is telling me how i have to send the money through western union in order to send the monkey ona flight in its cage with all its documents through the airport!!! i have seen pictures of the monkey and the person and also spoken through the phone HOW DO I KNOW IT'S NOT A SCAM?????? HELP!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Answer 1

It's a scam

1. ONLY a scammer asks for Western Union payments

2. NO breeder would ever sell you a capuchin until they had done a site visit to your home to verify you have the appropriate sized outdoor enclosure for your jurisdiction AND that you hold an exotic animal ownership license. Most will also require you to have first taken a primate handling class

3. A baby capuchin costs Minimum $5000 for a male and $10,000 for a female - you won't find them for less from any legitimate breeder

4. Most airlines WILL NOT ship primates. You have to pick it up in person and drive it home

5. You will rarely meet anyone with a pet capuchin more than 5 years old, even though they can live to 45, because most turn aggressive and violent at this age when they are reaching sexual maturity. They are either out down or put into primate sanctuaries if one has space

6. Seeing pictures means nothing. There are hundreds of thousands of pictures of capuchins online anyone could copy. Speaking on the phone means nothing. Any scammer can give a fake name, buy a cheap pay as you go burner phone in cash so they can't be traced, and collect money from 10 different victims and not get caught

7. If the scammer claims to be in another country it's definitely a scam as only zoos can ship animals internationally. Private owners cannot. Even if there was a monkey and it somehow got smuggled onto the plane and survived, it would be immediately put to sleep upon arrival as animals from abroad carry too many diseases not found among local animals that could create a dangerous epidemic as local animals have no antibodies against these diseases



If you do not live in a state where monkey ownership is allowed (they are banned in more than half of states now) and do not have an exotic animal license issued by your state department of wildlife, nobody will sell you a capuchin. They can't or they would be breaking the law

Answer 2

Obvious scam.



You don't want a monkey.

You like the -idea- of owning a monkey, but have no idea the damage it could do. to both you, the monkey, and the future of the monkey's species.



First: Many primates can carry diseases that can transfer to humans. This also means our diseases can transfer to monkeys. Veterinary care for an exotic pet like a monkey is INCREDIBLY expensive.



Second: Where do you think those monkeys come from? Sure, some are captive bred, but the majority of them come from illegal poachers who kill mother monkeys and sell the babies into the pet trade.



Third: you CANNOT replace the care of a mother monkey. EVER. Unless you plan on spending every second with it and socializing it thoroughly LIKE A MONKEY, you cannot provide it the care it needs. This will result in a very messed up young monkey, which leads to an unpredictable and DANGEROUS adolescent. They may look small and cute, but a young adult Capuchin can literally RIP YOUR FACE OFF. And they will when they reach sexual maturity. That is, if you don't dump it off on someone else before then.



MONKEYS ARE NOT PETS.

Answer 3

Its a scam because it sounds ridiculous. You're gonna send it western union. Western Union is perfect for sketchy practices because they can ask you to send the money to a fake name to keep their identity anonymous. I don't think they'd fly a monkey on an airplane in a cage. Its not like normal cargo, its an animal. They don't ship animals like that. At least i don't think they do..

Answer 4

People have suicided after receiving a harsh response here when looking for help and having their question deleted. I know because a friend of mine here personally knew the person who suicided. People need to be more careful how they talk to potential suicide cases instead of being rude or treating them like a joke.