Vet’s credentials used in Singapore dog export scam

ABOUT 20 dogs are believed to have been fraudulently exported from Australia using the accreditation of a Queensland vet.

An investigation is under way into several dogs, including labradors and corgis, exported to Singapore using false veterinary certificates.

Ripley Veterinary Hospital owner Andrew Hemming said he was contacted by a man in Singapore wanting to find out more about a dog he had bought with vaccination details of the Ipswich vet.

“He sent through a vaccination and import certificate with microchip and vaccination details and health checks, but it wasn’t from us,” Mr Hemming said. “It had our letterhead, our logo, and various other bits and pieces that makes it look like it’s from us … it’s very unusual.

“Whoever it was has pulled our practice manager’s name off our website, so she’s apparently been recorded as the vet who’s seen all these animals – but she’s obviously not a vet.”

Mr Hemming said he then contacted the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service to report the fraudulent export of an animal.

“They said, ‘ OK, you didn’t see that animal, but did you see these other 20 animals?’ And they sent us through 20 other certificates of export with our details on them and from what I can tell fake vaccination labels and fake signatures,” he said.

“They’ve all been microchipped under someone’s registration obviously.

“On the certificates we’ve seen labradors, corgis, malteses, so they’re all over the place.”

The Ipswich vet was then contacted by another person in Singapore wanting information about another dog.

Mr Hemming urged people in the lead-up to Christmas to check vaccination and microchip details before purchasing an animal.