Heartless Puppy Scams: Imposters are pretending to be One Wish

It has come to our attention that scammers are impersonating the One Wish Dog Foundation online, using our name, photos, posts, and even our registered charity number to "sell" puppies to unsuspecting dog lovers.

It's heart-breaking, it's illegal, and it puts both people and dogs at risk.

The most important thing to know - One Wish Dog Foundation is a rescue. We do not sell puppies.

Our dogs are unwanted, abandoned, or in need of a second chance. They come into our care through no fault of their own, and we lovingly rehabilitate them before finding them a forever home through our proper adoption process. There is no "checkout" button. There is no quick sale. There is no overnight delivery of a puppy to your door.

Anyone offering to "sell" you a One Wish puppy, no matter how legitimate the page looks, is a scammer.

How to spot a puppy scam

Scammers are getting smarter. They copy our logo, our profile pictures, our posts, our address, and yes, even our registered charity number. Here's what to watch out for:

🚩 “Puppies for sale" with a price tag.  We rehome, not sell. If there's a fixed price and a "buy now" option, walk away.

🚩 Pressure to pay quickly. Urgency is a scammer's best friend. "Act now or lose the puppy" is a massive red flag.

🚩 They won't let you visit. Legitimate rescues will always invite you to meet the dog in person before any commitment. If they refuse, decline, or make excuses, it's a scam.

🚩 “Nationwide delivery" of a puppy. We do not ship dogs. A stranger promising to put a puppy on a delivery van is not a rescue.

🚩 A brand new profile with suspiciously high engagement. The fake page impersonating us had only a few followers but had copied dozens of our posts. Fresh account, polished content, be suspicious.

🚩 They ask for payment via bank transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. These methods are almost impossible to trace or recover. A legitimate charity will use secure, traceable payment methods.

🚩 They copy your scam warnings back at you. Yes, really. Some scammers are so bold that they're stealing our own warnings and reposting them on their fake pages. Unbelievable, but it happens.

How to verify it's really One Wish

Before you message, comment, or pay anything, do these three things:

1. Check the URL. Our only official website is www.onewishdogs.co.uk. If the address looks slightly different, has extra words, or uses .com instead of .co.uk then it's fake. The current scammers have set up a web site with the exact same web site address as us, but with the "s" missing from "dogs."

2. Check our charity number. Our registered charity number is 1212997. You can verify us on the Charity Commission register at any time. The fact that a scammer has copied our number does NOT prove they're legitimate - anyone can copy and paste text.

3. Contact us directly. If in doubt, message us through our official website or our verified social media channels. Don't reply to a suspicious account; start a fresh conversation with one you know is real.

Our official channels:

Our official channels:

• Website: www.onewishdogs.co.uk

• Facebook: facebook.com/onewishdogs

• Instagram: @onewishdogs

What to do if you've already been scammed

Please don't feel embarrassed; these people are professionals, and they're conning innocent dog lovers every single day. Take these steps straight away:

• Contact your bank immediately to try to stop or reverse the payment.

• Report it to Action Fraud (the UK's national fraud reporting centre) at actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

• Report the fake profile to the platform (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) so it can be taken down.

• Screenshot everything: messages, payment receipts, profile details, before the scammer deletes their account.

• Tell us. Even if you didn't lose money, we want to know about fake profiles so we can warn others and report them ourselves.

Please stay safe and we are so sorry to anyone who has sadly fallen victim to scammers using our name fraudulently.