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I own a B&G macaw and responded to a classified add on another site about adoption of a hyacinth. The owner states he is a volunteer worker and is not going to be able to take care of his three hys, one male and two females. He has chosen me to take care of the birds while he is gone and says I can keep one of them when he returns. He is supplying a very large cage, monthly feeding expenses/vet expenses, shippin, etc. I have corresponded with him a few times and not once has he asked me for any financial help. Has anyone ever heard of a situation like this? Just waiting for the scam bomb to drop. Not much to do for a ten thousand dollar animal. Let me know what you all think.

It kinda sounds like the spam bomb will drop soon. I hope I'm wrong though.

I'll let ya know either way.

yeah...I don't know about that...especially since he didn't say which one you would be adopting..

Just be careful when you go over to his house..

When it comes to my birds, if I were to become terminally ill or unable to properly care for them and had to find long term care, I would be more concerned about the quality of the foster parent's care and their intentions, and not about what the bird costs. My "children" are not dollar signs to me; they are a little piece of my heart and soul and what I may have paid for them many years ago is completely irrelevant. I would never sell my birds and will "give" them to the best caregiver when I die. As most of you know, there is no such thing as a free bird

On the flip side, this guy may be "casing" you and wants to know who you are, where you live and what you have so he can come steal it. That would be worst case, of course.

That sounds like a very interesting situation. It is good to be cautious. Please take care of you and do not put yourself in a position of being alone with him. Bring someone with you.. preferably a male when he returns and it is time to pick up the bird, whatever.

All kinds of possibilities come to mind in a situation like this... somewhere in the midst of all of those possibilities is the truth, only we have no clue what it is!


And on the flip side of all this is the possiblity that this guy has lots of money and little time to spend with the birds so is arranging to handle things in this way. A bit far fetched, but we never know.

Have you thought about asking him which bird will be yours?

No matter what, just remain cautious and take good care of you. I care. Please keep us posted.

Do you know which avian vet he uses and when the birds' last check-ups were? Give some thought on how to tactfully bring up this subject. An owner of three such expensive birds should certainly have a vet.

Also, what breeder did these birds come from? What is their history? This information also can be inquired about in casual conversation.

I think the history and health care of these birds is important information to know. It will also help you determine if this person is real or a scammer.

What information has he asked from you? How did you connect?

Thanks for all the advice and concerns. To answer some of the questions.
The owner did tell me what bird I would be keeping, and has made arrangements for shipping the birds and cage to an airport near my home. He has not asked for any personal financial info and our only contact will be by email and phone. He is providing me with a monthly "allowance" for care and feeding of the birds, and only requires me to send him monthly pis of the birds by email to confirm good health. I am looking forward to their arrival, not because of the rarity and expense of these birds, but their beauty and reputation as wonderful animals. Thanks especially to breezy "macaw mama" for your comments and your concern. I will let you all know when I recieve my new additions to the family.
Thanks
Phil

Phil-

I would be very very careful here. This is a scam here. Normally this is how these people get you. They lull you into a false sense of security. They earn your trust and make you believe that you are the "chosen one" for their precious (non existant) birds. Sure, you get photos....but if you do your homework, the photos belong to legitimate breeders who actually have the bird. I was raised hearing "if it sounds too good to be true, it normally is"

I don't know if anyone addresses this but where is this person supposedly located? If you do not know , you can do a search on the IP address. If this person turns out to be outside the US...run screaming in the other direction. No matter what he tells you, under NO circumstances, can th average person ship a bird into the US. They talk a good story and make even seasoned bird people believe their garbage.

Back to how they work....they will normally tell you that the shipping and paperwork is anywhere between 700 and 1000. Well, shipping is a fraction of that and they are not going to waste their time for 100 bucks when they are getting thousands at a time. I get mails almost every day from scammers telling me that they have a Hy or a Black Palm for adoption and they want me to take it. Another thing is, I don;t know anyone who would just hand their expensive bird over to a stranger for free to birdsit. I have a Black Palm and I was paranoid bringing him to my mom to sit while we went on vacation.

I hate to be a damper here but I seriously think you are being scammed here and one of the mails I got was suspiciously similar to the one you are speaking of. Also, check the grammar and spelling of the mails. Red flag!!!! I know many people from the US have bad grammar (myself included) but theirs is glaringly bad.

Find out where this person supposedly is. And, if they ask you for money or ANY personal information, run run run run.

I just don't want to see you fall into their trap like SO many other people do.

Jessica

Thanks Jessica, I too believe this is one of those too good to be true situations. His story is shady, a volunteer worker in Moroco getting ready to go on tour. He will not get a dime from me. I think Hys are wonderful but I am a B&G lover myself. Ours is the best and I was really just trying to find another one for a reasonable price when I stumbled onto Mr. Morocco. This really has nothing to do with the Hy guy, but wondering if anyone has heard of Neslon aviary in Monmouth Oregon? They are advertising very low prices on their hand weeaned birds, ie B&G for $500, Hys for $3500, 12 different species of toos from $400-$600, and no extra for shipping. Antoher too good to be true? Let me know if anyone has dealt with them, or are they just another of many scammers.

Oh yeah, he is so F.O.S. it is unbelievable. Just know that when you tell him the deal is off, he may threaten you. I went through this about 3 years ago. It was a little different situation. I did not get taken for any money though. The guy send me a phony cashiers check for a cage and I then realized what as going on and nixed the deal. (he sent me a check for $4500 on a $500 cage). He then threatened my life and my family and said that if I didn't cash the check and send him they money, he wwas coming to find me. I was scared then but I laugh now.

Anyways, yes, out of the country, it is absolutely a SCAM. And, the aviary supposedly in Oregon....SCAM. No aviary, no matter how many Hyacinths they produce, sell Hys for 3500 bucks. I sell mine for $9500 and that is about the going rate for a hand fed healthy weaned baby Hy. These people prey on unsuspecting people or people who couldn't otherwise afford a more rare bird like a Hyacinth or a Black Palm. I unfortunately also get a lot of mails from people looking for one of these birds who have been taken by these dirtbags. And, they get upset because I tell them there is no way they can get a Black Cockatoo for $1000. Believe me, I feel bad for them having been taken but people need to realize that certain species are priced where they are for a reason.

And, this is for anyone who reads this....you CANNOT import a bird from overseas if you are the average person. No matter what anyone says. Call the US Fish and Wildlife service. They will tell you the same. It is time to put a stop to these scammers. And, stop them from taking our hard earned money.

Phil- you have done the right thing by being cautious. I just hate seeing good people screwed out of their hard earned money.

Jessica

Thanks again Jessica. My wife and I got a great deal on a great bird 14 yrs ago, and in trying to do the same now have ran into so many scammers, damn internet LOL. Jessica, I think I have visited your site in the past looking for another B&G, do you have any available at this time, and if so how much are you asking for them.
Thanks,
Phil

pbarkerb wrote:Thanks for all the advice and concerns. To answer some of the questions.
The owner did tell me what bird I would be keeping, and has made arrangements for shipping the birds and cage to an airport near my home. He has not asked for any personal financial info and our only contact will be by email and phone. He is providing me with a monthly "allowance" for care and feeding of the birds, and only requires me to send him monthly pis of the birds by email to confirm good health. I am looking forward to their arrival, not because of the rarity and expense of these birds, but their beauty and reputation as wonderful animals. Thanks especially to breezy "macaw mama" for your comments and your concern. I will let you all know when I recieve my new additions to the family.
Thanks
Phil

You are very welcome. I look forward to hearing more about this very intriguing situation.

There is no way for any of us to know what this man's intent may or may not be.. Phil will figure it out. I would imagine Phil is remaining cautious with all of this and looking to see how it all unfolds. If it is a scam, it will show itself to be one.

Phil, I encourage you to keep a written record of what is being said and done so that you have it for evidence if it becomes necessary. You have not met this person, know nothing about him, and therefore CAUTION is the word to keep hold of. Take care of you, you matter!!!! Meanwhile, I await news.

I am still talking back and forth with this man, and almost 100% sure he is trying to scam me. He said he has recieved a CITES I permit with Vet documentation to send the birds to me, but wanted $1200 to do so. I told him no way was I going to give him a dime until I recieved the birds. Now he is telling me he wil pay the shipping if I reimburse when the birds arrive. I am still very leary because this man is from Camaroon, capitol of scamming. Definately not holding my breath.

I am telling you....he is full of s***.

He DOES NOT have the birds. There are NO Hyacinths. He is trying to get money out of you plain and simple. He IS a scammer. Just cut him off and be done with it. Cause the more you communicate with him, the better the story he will tell and possibly convince you further to send him that money. It is not worth it. No matter what permit he claims he gets, YOU will not get the import permit on this end, whether he had the birds or not.

Jess