Funny scam! Cannot stop laughing!!

[j94712]

So i was bored the other day and look on recycler and found an ad "piebald and albino python adoption"
I e-mailed him and he replied back saying that the adoption is free but i need to pay the shipping fee from Cameroon to USA! I thought this is kind of odd, so i searched on interent about it. I found that people are reporting pet scams from Cameroon. So i wanted to check on this guy and just asked him a lot of random and basic questions about ball pythons. Obviously a lot of the things that i asked are wrong (feeding snakes chicken breast! hahaha!) Apparently this guy does feed his snake chicken breast and house them 150 degree!

Please be aware of pet scams on internet! And don't give them out your info!
Here is the conversation if you are interested:

Thanks very much for the respond.I have both albino and piebald
pythons that i want to give out.There are very easy to handle and has a
good relationship with people and other home pets such as dogs ,cats
monkeys etc.Their weight are 250g and 300g respectively, Their ages are 7
months and 8 months old and will be accompanied by a cities permits
.There are also great eaters and eat regularly on frozen prepare food ,as such
will make a very good home pet for you and your family
.

All i need is a good and caring home that will meet up with any
procedure if need to be ship.All you need do is promise me
that you are going to take very good care of this snakes and provides them with
a loving and caring home.They will be going out for free adoption and all you
need to pay is the shipping fee . I am giving them for adoption because
i am here for an assignment and my job requires a lot of time so i
immediately realized that they are going to be lonely and as you know
they are very delicate creatures and need a lot of care and devotion and
that is why i have decided to give them out to a loving and caring home
where they will be loved and will be given all the time they need,I am
shipping them from Cameroon and they are also coming with all the
papers including a 40 gal tank.We need serious reptiles lovers that
are willing and also capable of taking very good care of them and
gives us all information regarding their welfare.

How many snakes do you want ?,where are you located?,how soon do you need
this snakes ship to you . However, I can have them delivered to you if
you can promise me and also assure me that their safety is going to be
your concern.

Where are you located...................?
Have you ever
had snakes before .......?
I promise to take care of them .............?
To provide images of
them so that i see how they are doing ........?
which one will you like to adopt.................?
How soon do you need this snakes......................?

Then get back to me with your complete contact information ........?
Your full names
Country
State
City
zip code
phone number
house address
nearest airport to your location.

All i will need you to do if you are very interested in getting them from
me is to pay for the shipping fees of the snakes directly to the
airlines that will be transporting the snakes to your location and home
address. Thank you and come back to me if you think you can provide
a good home. Here are some of their photos of snakes, I also hope that
you are going to love them.
Regards. and God bless
you and your family
Thanks

My respond:
Hi

I cannot afford the air ticket for them. Sorry, wish you can find other people who can pay that shipping.
Nice photos by the way.

He replies:
Hello and thanks very much for you , how much money can you affort

(I was pretty skeptical about this at this time)
So i just asked lots of random questions:

Not much. It seems like u guys have quiet a collection from your photo. Just curious on wat size of frozen quail do u feed them? And wat day and time? Wat temperature do u house them? Wat humanity? Wat sub morph? And wat facility? Wat bedding? Wat kind of water hide? Wat kind if water bowl? How often do u clean them and take shower for them? Do u have other kinds of pets? Wat kind of heating do u use? Wat other snakes do u have? Do u have any green anaconda? Have u seen one? Are they big?
Sorry for all these questions, but I need to know as much as possible for me to adopt them.
Please give me all the answers with detail explanations and I will think about it. And also please give me your contact info and website.

Have a nice day!

He replies:

Thanks very much. They feed a small size of frozen food.i feed them
once a week.I feed them in the morning.I house them with a normal
temperature and same humanity like other snakes.after 2 days , i clean
them and take them out when i am at home but my wife is always looking
after them when i am at work.these are the only three snakes i have
now.Yes i have seen one but will cost you much money here.I will
prefer you give me a call or if you a have a phone number, i will call
you.
Thanks

And I was not pleased with the answer:

ok u didn't answer all the questions with DETAIL explanations.let me give u an example of a good explanation:
Q: What kind of food do u feed them?
A: I feed them frozen chicken breast about 150 grams and i throughly thawed them out before i feed. Sometimes my snake will be really excited that they just take it right away, but sometimes they don't and i have to feed them for hours. The longest time i feed them is around 6 hours of waiting. It is long but i wait because snake is my priority. I usually get my food at whole food. It's funny how they only take organic chicken breast! etc...


this is a relatively short answer with some explanation, and i expect more from u, since they are very important for u.


So do you house them around 120 degree in the day and 100 degree at night? It is very important for me to know the details so i can take good care of them as u wish.


If you do not answer all the questions with great explanations, i will not take them.


And he answered:
OK

I feed them with frozen chicken breast of about 100 grams and i
throughly thawed them out before i feed, The longest time i feed them
is around 5 hours of waiting which is a perfect waiting time and house
them around 150 degree in the day and 100 degree at night.


Snakes, being cold blooded, need to be able to thermoregulate their
bodies. They do this by seeking out the appropriate temperature for
the task at hand. They need access to warmer temperatures in order to
be able to properly accomplish many tasks in life, including
digestion. Now, each of the heating methods listed can provide a heat
source, but which one is best? For most commonly kept snakes, I would
recommend a heat pad, or under tank heater (a UTH) hands down and I'll
tell you why.

Snakes are secretive animals. They will spend a great deal of their
lives in hiding. After a snake has just eaten a good sized meal, it
will feel especially vulnerable and will hide out for several days
while it digests its meal. It will need heat to properly digest this
meal. So, we know it wants to hide while it digests its meal and we
know it needs heat to digest it properly. That is why a heat pad or
UTH is the favored heating device by most keepers.

Hot Rocks
Hot rocks will provide a heat source but they have many bad points
that far out weight their heating capabilities.

They do not heat up evenly and can have some spots that are dangerously hot.
They do not come equipped with a temperature control device and
can reach temperatures far too hot for snakes.
They do not allow the snake to hide while utilizing the heat source.

In my opinion, those points make them the worst choice of the three
heating methods. That's not even including the numerous pictures I've
seen and stories I've heard of snakes being burnt and even killed by
hot rocks. If you have a hot rock, cut off the cord, use it as a cage
decoration and go buy a heat pad.

Heat Lamps
Heat lamps do basically what the sun does. They heat the air and
provide an ambient heat gradient. They are great for some species of
snakes but not ideal for others. If a heat lamp is what you've chosen
as a heat source for your snake, you should be aware of a few things.

A heat lamp, if the snake has the ability to reach it, can also
cause potentially fatal burns to you snake.
Heat lamps will have to run at a higher temperature in order to
provide the proper temperature in the snake's hiding spot.
Heat lamps pose the highest risk of fire of the three heating methods.
Heat lamps can make it difficult to maintain a suitable humidity
level in your snake's enclosure.

Heat lamps do a better job than a hot rock and are the ideal heating
method for some arboreal snakes but given their possible risks, I
would avoid them if possible. If used, they need to be out of the
snake's reach and in a spot where they cannot be knocked over.

Heat Pads
That brings us to heat pads. Heat pads, when equipped with a
controlling device, are the safest and most efficient method of
heating. Be it a store bought commercial heat pad, a human heat pad,
heat tape or radiant heat panels, an under tank heater has all of the
things your snakes needs without many of the risks.

Heat pads provide heat where the snake will use it most; in its hiding spot.
Heat pads are safe for the snake to come in contact with if they
are controlled by a dimmer or other means.
Heat pads can be set to run at the exact basking temperature your
snake needs.
Heat pads provide an even temperature and allow for a proper heat gradient.
Heat pads, when used properly, pose little risk to your animal.

Heat pads come in many sizes and price ranges and can be found at most
commercial pet stores or ordered online from a variety of suppliers.
They are, by far, the heat source I would recommend for 98% of
commonly kept snakes.


DISCLAIMER: All heating devices should be used properly to minimize
the risk of fire. Always read the instructions and measure the
temperature before allowing any reptile to come into contact with the
heat source

I have to say that this guy is pretty fun to talk to and got some "good" research skills.
I can follow up some update if you guys want.

[Mephibosheth1]

Definitely keep us up to date on this as long as it lasts.

This must be the guy everyone in my English Class was using to help write their essays lol




Watch this be one of our forum mods testing our online purchasing skills XD

[jasonmcgilvrey83]

Africa right? Was the shipping fee 260? If so I came across it to.

[Neal]

Wow, nice shipping, lol.

[interloc]

I've totally emailed this guy too! Lol. It was a while back when I didn't know much and was just looking for deals. Lol. What a silly person.

[Neal]

I think we should all harass him.

[dillan2020]

I've seen the same add on my local craigslist a few times over the last couple weeks.

[j94712]

So here is an update on this.

I replied:
So i can only pay about 10$.Is that too much?
And i really want to take a look at your contact info, so i can trust you on this.

He said:
No if you can pay 100$ i will ship the snakes to your location

Hahah

Give me some suggestion on what i should said in the next email!

[Anya]

trololololol.....tooo funny.

[Coopers Constrictors]

They have been doing this for years now, folks. Be careful and don't give them any of your information!