HICKORY CORNERS, Mich. — The Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan is warning consumers about a website that claims to have monkeys and birds for sale.
Monkeysandbirdsforsale.com claims to sell small monkeys for between $1,200 and $1,500 and parrots for $1,000, according to a news release Thursday.
However, BBB says there’s evidence this website may be a scam.
The website lists an address near Hickory Corners, Michigan, but the owner of the property told BBB they have no connection to the website, and do not know why the website is using their address.
“It is not uncommon for bad actors to list a fake address in an effort to make themselves appear legitimate,” said Phil Catlett, president of the Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan. “A physical address can give a customer a sense of security.”
BBB has seen an increase in inquiries about the website over the past month.
One review of the website submitted to BBB says he tried to buy a monkey from the company, but attempts to pay through PayPal and Venmo failed and the seller asked him to buy gift cards to make a payment.
They also wanted an additional $1,500 in travel insurance and $100 for shipping.
The buyer became uncomfortable with the transaction and cut it off before the payment went through.
BBB investigators also found the phone number used by the company is also being used by a puppy scam website.
In addition, some of the photos of the monkeys available for sale include a watermark for a Florida company that sells monkeys online.
“Each year pet scams are among the riskiest scams we see at the BBB,” Catlett said. “Most people think of puppy scams. But they work for all types of animals: dogs, cats, even monkeys and birds.”
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