Chook chat: buying poultry online without getting scammed

Buying purebred poultry used to be so complex, involving word of mouth, long-distance phone calls and day trips in the car. It’s much simpler now you can buy online and pay digitally. Or is it? Personally, I’m concerned about the number of chicken scammers now appearing on social media.

The scammers use social media pages to advertise birds, henhouses and hatching eggs. They may appear legitimate but ask for immediate payment, then the buyer is blocked, the page disappears, and there’s no sign of the purchase. It’s expensive and disappointing.

There are still many excellent and reputable sellers out there, but we do need to be cautious when buying online.

Here are some ‘red flags’ to watch out for before handing over your money.

Suspicious sites

Scrutinise any social media pages for warning signs, such as business names that sound odd or incorrect grammar. Scammers really love Americanisms and evocative words like homestead, heritage, acres, farmyard, ridge, valley.

Also look out for:

• New pages or those with multiple name changes. For example, on Facebook, go to the profile, click on the name and a popup will display the creation date – you want a business that’s been there for a while.
• Phone numbers or addresses that are obscure or inconsistent. The site may advertise locally but be based overseas, or have no location listed.
• Sellers posting many times daily, repeating the same posts, or replying to wanted posts when they just joined the group.
• Sellers who don’t allow comments, only direct messages, or who try to get you off site and onto a personal message service.
• Pages with few or no followers.

Fake photos

Scam sellers often use AI or steal photos from other pages – they might look appealing but the images will be inconsistent. The background of photos may suggest different farms, locations or climates, while henhouses or litter types vary for different breeds. Other tells are American barns and European or snow-climate housing.

Be wary of pages advertising every henhouse or poultry breed imaginable or breeds that are rare or unavailable in Australia. Captions that are vague, just emojis or sound American are also suspect.

Click the photos tab in the profile and check the old images for other scam indicators. For example, images of totally different items for sale like designer clothes or handbag. To check for photo stealing, do a Google reverse image search.

Pick up Issue 169 of ABC Organic Gardener in stores now to read the rest of this story on buying poultry online safely, or subscribe at mymagazines.com.au to get every issue delivered straight to your door.