Most Chihuahua puppy scams follow one script: photos stolen from a real breeder, a seller who only texts or emails, a request for payment by gift card, wire, cryptocurrency or an app transfer, then a string of new shipping and crate fees. To avoid puppy scams, insist on meeting a real person who hands you the puppy, reverse image search every photo, confirm the litter's registration with the registry yourself, and never pay a transport company you did not pick. If a seller refuses any of those checks, stop.
The Script, Step by Step
The names and websites change every few weeks. The order of events hardly ever does.
- The bait. A clean website, a social media post or a classified ad shows a round-eyed puppy that looks impossibly small. The pictures came from a real kennel somewhere else.
- The fast reply. The seller answers within minutes, always in writing. There is always a reason they cannot talk or meet: an overseas job, a sick parent, a move next week.
- The rush. Another buyer is "sending money tonight", so you need to pay a deposit now.
- The payment. Gift card codes, a wire, crypto, or an app transfer to a personal name.
- The fees. A "pet transport company" emails that the puppy is at the airport. It only needs a heated crate, insurance or a release fee. Every payment brings a new one. There was never a puppy.
One variation families tell us about is the free puppy. The dog costs nothing; you just cover shipping. The shipping is the scam.
Teacup Chihuahua Scams: Why the Smallest Puppies Are the Bait
A family shopping for a teacup Chihuahua usually expects three things before they ever start: delivery, a deposit before meeting the puppy, and a seller in another state. Those are the same three conditions a scammer needs. Three sales lines show up again and again.
An adult weight under 2 pounds, guaranteed
Nobody can guarantee adult size. It is an estimate drawn from the parents' adult weights and the puppy's own growth. We project our teacup size puppies at 3 to 4 lbs and we say plainly that it is an estimate. We never promise an adult under 2 pounds. A seller who guarantees one is guessing at best.
Micro, nano and Korean teacup
These are sales words, not breeds and not registry categories. Fake sellers use them to raise the price halfway through a chat: the puppy you asked about just sold, but a "micro" is available for more.
Delivery only, no meeting
A seller who will ship but will never meet you has removed the one check that beats every scam. We work the other way. Our puppies never travel as cargo and never go with a hired transporter. You collect in person, you send someone you trust, or one of us flies with the puppy in the cabin and hands it to you.
"Local" Puppy Scams: A Nearby Address Proves Nothing
Local does not mean safe. Families tell us about listings that claim an address in their own state, a local area code, or a "farm outside town", and then say the puppy is temporarily with a relative out of state. A local-sounding seller who will not give you an address for a visit is no more real than one who admits to living far away. If a seller really is within driving distance, use that advantage and insist on a visit. If they are far away, insist on meeting the person who hands you the puppy. Our Chihuahua puppy delivery page shows how we do that for families across the USA: pickup at our home, or one of us flies with the puppy in the cabin to your nearest major airport.
Why Price Tells You Very Little
Plenty of scam advice says a cheap puppy is always fake. That does not hold up. Scammers copy whatever real breeders charge, and plenty of honest breeders ask a price in the same range a fake listing shows. Every puppy of ours is $700, teacup or toy, long coat or smooth, and that figure does not change partway through a conversation. A believable price is part of a good scam. Judge the seller by what they let you verify, not by the number. Our Chihuahua price guide shows what drives a fair price, so you can spot a figure that moves around without reason.
Five Checks to Run Before You Pay Anyone
1. Reverse image search the photos
On a phone, press and hold a picture and search it with Google Lens. On a computer, try Google, Bing Visual Search and TinEye. The same puppy under a different kennel name means the photos are stolen.
2. Ask for a photo with today's date
Request a new picture of the puppy beside a piece of paper with your first name and today's date. A breeder who has the puppy can send it in minutes.
3. Call, do not just text
A real breeder answers the phone or calls back. Check that the number matches the one on the breeder's own website, not a number sent to you in a message.
4. Confirm the registration with the registry
Ask for the registry name and the litter number, then check directly with that registry that the litter exists and the breeder's name matches. A certificate made in a photo editor is easy. A registry's own records are not.
5. Read the written terms first
A real breeder has a deposit policy, contract and guarantee you can read before money moves. If the rules shift during the conversation, walk away.
Payment Methods That Should End the Conversation
Gift cards, wire transfers and cryptocurrency are close to impossible to recover, which is exactly why fake sellers want them. No breeder needs gift card codes. Payment apps such as Zelle, Cash App and Venmo move money like cash, and a transfer to a stranger is often not refundable. A credit card usually gives you the most room to dispute a charge.
Scam Signs Next to How We Work
| Scam sign | How we do it |
|---|---|
| Will never meet you | You meet one of us in person, at our home or at your airport |
| Email from a pet shipping company | No cargo and no transporter: one of us flies with the puppy in the cabin |
| Papers you cannot check | Every litter is AKC registered, and you can confirm the papers with the registry yourself |
| Promises an adult under 2 lbs | Teacup size projected at 3 to 4 lbs, always an estimate |
| Deposit rules that keep changing | A deposit holds a puppy under our written deposit policy |
| Text or email only | Phone (646) 463-2052, email contact@twincitieschihuahuas.com, visits by appointment, Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
How to Check Us Before You Apply
We would rather you verify us than trust us.
- Phone or text (646) 463-2052. It is our only number. Anyone using our name from a different number is not us.
- Check our registration papers. Ask us for the litter details and confirm them with the registry yourself.
- Meet us. We are based in Minneapolis. Pick up by appointment at our home, send someone you trust, or meet one of us at your airport.
- Read our papers first. Our deposit policy, puppy contract and health guarantee are all published on this site.
Our rule, after too many calls from families who found us too late: if a seller will not let you meet the real person who hands you the puppy, do not send money. That one rule would have stopped every scam we have been told about. You can read more about who we are on the Twin Cities Chihuahuas home page.
If You Have Already Paid
Act the same day. Call your bank, card issuer or payment app and ask them to stop or reverse the payment. For gift cards, call the number on the back of the card. Pay no new fee, whatever the next message threatens. Report the seller to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and file a consumer complaint with your state attorney general's office. Keep every email, text, receipt and screenshot. If a fake seller used our name or photos, tell us so we can report it too.
Once you know exactly who you are dealing with, browse our teacup Chihuahua puppies for sale, each listed with its price, current weight and projected adult size.