Caution… Fake Horses For Sale!

Whilst the internet has enhanced our lives in any number of ways, it also leaves us more vulnerable than ever to scams. A fabulous resource is being exploited by unscrupulous people and no aspect of online activity is immune from fraudsters including, unfortunately, the sale of livestock.

Highly regarded breeder Dawn Janciauskas was recently shocked to discover that the videos she has produced to showcase her horses were being used to create fake sales advertisements.

Honest Horse Breeder

Dawn has been running Sports Horse Continental since 2003 and has never used agents, preferring to handle the sale of horses herself. It is always advisable for any potential purchaser to view a horse in person before investing in the animal, but for international buyers, this isn’t always possible. Dawn creates videos of her horses to help her clients assess them. You can imagine her shock when she was contacted by someone interested in buying a horse which had sold several years ago!

Fake Advertisement

One of Dawn’s clients had seen the video attached to an advert for a horse which was for sale in Hungary. The advert also included photographs which were of a different but very similar horse. The client called dawn rather than the contact in the advert because he had recognised her husband in the video having dealt with the family previously.

Second Horse Scam

To make matter’s worse, an American buyer contacted Dawn the very same week having also viewed a video of one her horses which was advertised for sale in Hungary. This buyer had already gone as far as arranging with the seller to have the horse DNA tested and vetted. Dawn had to tell the poor women that the horse did not exist.

Further Fake Advertisements on Facebook

Dawn has now uncovered further fake advertisements, all of which have been posted on Facebook and by three different sellers in Hungary. This could clearly be the same fraudster with three different Facebook profiles. Dawn is concerned that the scam could have been going on for a considerable period of time before she stumbled across it. The fraudulent sellers have been clever enough not to feature the videos in the posts but to share them privately instead so they are less likely to be caught in the act.

Significant Price Tags

As the horses concerned are being offered at prices around £16k, buyers are at risk of losing huge amounts of money. There are plenty of scammers out there peddling non-existent tack. Falling for one of these scams is upsetting but won’t change your life. But with the horse sale scams, equestrians could lose their life-savings.

Dawn is now considering adding branding to all of her videos. “You work hard, even just making the videos, and then someone can taint it and ruin it,” she said.

If you are considering purchasing a horse, we would strongly advise you to visit the seller in person as what you see online cannot always be believed.