Staying safe
People do target owners of missing pets. One trick protects you from almost all of it — and it takes ten seconds.
Hold back one detail. Always.
When you post, keep one identifying detail to yourself — a leg band number, a missing toenail, a scar, an unusual marking, a specific word it says. Don't put it in your listing, your flyer, or your social posts.
Then when somebody contacts you, ask them for it. Someone holding your bird can answer instantly. Someone working from your public listing cannot answer at all. That one question ends almost every fake claim before it starts.
Verifying someone really has your bird
- Ask for your withheld detail — the thing you deliberately never published.
- Ask for a photo or short video taken right now, with something everyday in shot such as a hand or a set of keys. This defeats a stolen photo from your own listing or from somewhere else online.
- Ask an open question they can't guess from your post: what is it doing, what noise is it making, is there a band on its leg and which one.
- Ask where and when they found it. A real answer is specific and matches the direction your bird actually went.
Walk away if you see these
- Any request for money before you have your bird — a courier fee, a vet bill, a deposit, a fee to “release” it. Especially e-transfer, gift cards or crypto, all of which are unrecoverable once sent.
- Urgency and pressure. “I'm leaving town tonight”, “it's hurt, send money now”. Real finders are patient; pressure is a tactic.
- They can't answer your withheld question — or they get angry that you asked.
- They only repeat details from your listing and never add anything new of their own.
- They want to move off the site immediately and won't answer anything in writing.
- They insist on your home address or on meeting somewhere private.
What this site does to protect you
- Your phone number and email are never published. They are not on your listing, not in the page source, and not in the printable flyer — which carries only a QR code pointing back here.
- Every message reaches you through us. Someone who wants to contact you fills in a form; we email you their message. You choose whether to reply, and you control what you share and when.
- No account, no password. There is nothing to breach — you manage your own listing through a private link we email you.
Common questions
Someone says they have my bird. How do I know it's true?
Ask them to describe something you never published — a band number, a missing toe, an odd mark under a wing, a word it says. Better still, ask for a photo or a short video taken right now, holding something ordinary like a set of keys. Anyone who actually has your bird can do this in a minute. Anyone who cannot, doesn't have it.
Should I pay a reward before getting my bird back?
Never send money, an e-transfer, gift cards or a deposit before you have your bird. A genuine finder will hand the bird over first. Requests for a courier fee, a vet bill, or money to 'release' the bird are the classic pattern — and once an e-transfer is claimed it is effectively gone.
Is it safe to post a reward at all?
A modest reward genuinely does make more people look twice. The risk isn't the reward itself, it's advertising a large sum next to a way to contact a distressed owner. Keep it modest, never state that you'll pay in advance, and remember we don't publish your phone number or email in the first place.
Do you publish my phone number or email?
No. Neither is ever shown on the site or in the printable flyer — the flyer carries only a QR code back to your listing. Anyone who wants to reach you uses the contact form on your listing, and their message comes to you by email. You decide whether to reply and what to share.
Where should I meet someone to collect my bird?
Somewhere public and busy, in daylight, and take someone with you. Many police stations offer a designated exchange area. Don't give out your home address, and don't go alone to a private address.
If you think you've been targeted, report it to your local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.