Is this a scam?
- Thread starter Karp86
- Start date
In The United States of America Asian Arowana are illegal. Period end of story. If you see a site trying to sell them in the US you can just assume it's a fake/scam trying to steal your money. Or even better it's some multiple alphabet government agency trying to catch people selling them and they come knocking on your door.
Yes there are some illegal ones in the states. Yes if you know someone who knows someone who knows someone you may be able to get one. But if get caught with it, get ready to lose all that $ you spent to get it. Typically they kill it on the spot, then you get a list of charges that end up with maybe some jail time or some nice hefty fines.
Choice is yours.
Yes there are some illegal ones in the states. Yes if you know someone who knows someone who knows someone you may be able to get one. But if get caught with it, get ready to lose all that $ you spent to get it. Typically they kill it on the spot, then you get a list of charges that end up with maybe some jail time or some nice hefty fines.
Choice is yours.
Government regulatory bodies love to use such violations to make changes to policy as well, with the result of additions to illegal list which has negative ramifications for people who have kept species legally as well.
Just for clarity’s sake, this was NOT a defense of pursuing and possessing illegal aquatic life. Being new to MFK and monster fish, I was not previously aware that Asian aros were illegal in the US as I have never pursued or kept them. I was merely relating that to the content provided in my original post referring to the scam level in the originating post.ln my defense your honor I’m new here, and not American, I didn’t know
Lol, no explanations/apologies/rationalizations required. 
Once you've been here awhile you will more quickly recognize the same questions that just seem to reappear on a regular basis. It's like a natural cycle; 17-year Cicadas, the ebb and flow of rabbit or grouse populations, the waxing and waning of the moon...and the dumb questions that continually rise from the grave over and over. The common element is that just about all of them could be easily answered with 60 seconds of internet research.
The only thing special about this current one is that the OP explains right in the post that he/she already knows that the fish are illegal in the U.S....and still wants to explore the ins and outs of getting one there!
I think we need to assign certain days of the week to certain questions. It'll help keep things neat and organized. I suggest the following arrangement:
Monday - What's the absolute smallest tank that I can keep my [insert name of big fish] in for life?
Tuesday - I can't find a retailer who stocks [insert name of illegal fish] online or locally. Where do I buy them? And how harsh are the penalties for doing so?
Wednesday - I have a [insert name of psycho killer fish] and I am wondering what would be a good tankmate for it?
Thursday - I bought a [insert name of fish] this morning and it still hasn't eaten anything; should I be worried?
Friday - I filled up my brand new aquarium on Friday and spent the entire weekend just sitting and staring at it; does that mean that it's now cycled?
Saturday - I need advice about [fill in some aspect of fishkeeping]. I don't intend to change my water, or upgrade my tank, re-home my fish or do anything different than I already do. I also don't want to hear any harsh criticisms or negative comments about my methods. Please help!
Sunday - This is supposed to be the day of rest, so let's keep it open for all the rest of the questions that might crop up. There's gotta be a few original ones. Free-for-all Sunday! Maybe concentrate on bot clean-ups...
Once you've been here awhile you will more quickly recognize the same questions that just seem to reappear on a regular basis. It's like a natural cycle; 17-year Cicadas, the ebb and flow of rabbit or grouse populations, the waxing and waning of the moon...and the dumb questions that continually rise from the grave over and over. The common element is that just about all of them could be easily answered with 60 seconds of internet research.The only thing special about this current one is that the OP explains right in the post that he/she already knows that the fish are illegal in the U.S....and still wants to explore the ins and outs of getting one there!
I think we need to assign certain days of the week to certain questions. It'll help keep things neat and organized. I suggest the following arrangement:
Monday - What's the absolute smallest tank that I can keep my [insert name of big fish] in for life?
Tuesday - I can't find a retailer who stocks [insert name of illegal fish] online or locally. Where do I buy them? And how harsh are the penalties for doing so?
Wednesday - I have a [insert name of psycho killer fish] and I am wondering what would be a good tankmate for it?
Thursday - I bought a [insert name of fish] this morning and it still hasn't eaten anything; should I be worried?
Friday - I filled up my brand new aquarium on Friday and spent the entire weekend just sitting and staring at it; does that mean that it's now cycled?
Saturday - I need advice about [fill in some aspect of fishkeeping]. I don't intend to change my water, or upgrade my tank, re-home my fish or do anything different than I already do. I also don't want to hear any harsh criticisms or negative comments about my methods. Please help!
Sunday - This is supposed to be the day of rest, so let's keep it open for all the rest of the questions that might crop up. There's gotta be a few original ones. Free-for-all Sunday! Maybe concentrate on bot clean-ups...
Priceless response!!
I’ll sign the petition to support the “assigned days” transition in forum life! That would certainly easy the tension we all feel waking each day to find out what’s brewing on the site!
I’ll sign the petition to support the “assigned days” transition in forum life! That would certainly easy the tension we all feel waking each day to find out what’s brewing on the site!
These scams have been around for as long as I can recall. https://arowanaclub.ca/forums/threads/more-scams-warning-to-usa-aro-keepers.4924/ I have known a surprisingly large number of people over the years who have been conned out of money. Don't underestimate the scammers as some can be very sophisticated, including real time social media, video calls, etc. On a few occasions I have trolled them, but it can get weird and so I don't do it any more. I have heard variations of other online scams (especially the Nigerian ones) where the scammers are able to triangulate your location and in the case of organized crime in large cities can arrange to have a stranger show up at your door to try and "close a deal".
