Exotic Kittens Ranch Parcel Worldwide Express (parcelworldwideexpress.com) "Sold" and "shipped" a kitten - forced a deposit and tried to then get extra for shipping after he was on the way Oklahoma City Oklahoma

I was in the market to purchase a Persian kitten, and came across their classified ad.  I spoke with the seller after on their website sending a note that I was interested in a few specific kittens.  I should have clued in to the fact that their phone couldn't take calls - they could only make them. 

He provided pictures of the two kittens I identified as being interested in, and then required a $500 down payment through Zelle or PayPal.  I asked for updated photos of the kitten I chose, but he would tell me he was at work and would do it "as soon as he got home."  Then, he would "forget" and promise to do them asap. 

We made plans to meet in person for me to pick up the kitten (halfway between where I lived and he was.  I learned it is SO important to request pictures with a card with your name next to it so you know it is real if you are making an online purchase.  He had clearly stolen these pictures from other breeders.

The day before the planned pick up, he sent me a text that he had a family emergency and needed to get to Florida right away.  He said he already booked a 1pm flight, but because of the inconvinience was going to ship the kitten to me right away at his cost. 

I have since learned it is illegal to ship kittens via flight (due to their flat faces), so just know this if you are looking online elsewhere.   He said the shipping company would be sending me an email with a tracking number, and would call to verify delivery address.  They did, but the person from the shipping company also spoke poor English in the same accent as the seller.  I believe Asian.

About three hours after the shipping company called me to verify shipping address, I got another phone call from them, and an email requiring $975 out of me as the kitten they were shipping "needed a special crate as the vet examined him at the airport and he was a little bit exhausted." 

Both the email and the phone call they tried to assure me this was just a rental for the special crate, so I would be fully refunded upon delivery.  I realized at that point (obviously too late to get back my deposit) that it was a scam, so I just said no to the additional $975 and told them to contact the seller. He kept trying to say "but you must understand this is refundable."

The phone call from the "shipping company" was clearly false, but also pretty well done.  The face of the website looked correct of a valid company - but the URL was different.  In addition, it kept updating with the different stages of the transport.

I just don't want someone else to try to buy a cat from this website and fall for their scam.  Stay away!