Knowledge base · Identity
Is a microchip database email asking for money a scam?
Treat it as suspicious until you have checked the list.
GOV.UK publishes the databases that meet government standards and says you must use one of them. It says Track Your Paws does not meet those standards and has been removed. If your pet is only registered there, move the record to a database that is still on the list.
GOV.UK then says: if you get an email from any other database asking for money to register your pet, it could be a scam. Report scam emails to the National Cyber Security Centre. Do not pay from the email, and do not click through to type the microchip number into a site you reached that way.
A fee from the database you actually registered with, for an update when you move house, is different. GOV.UK says you might be charged to update details. Check you are on the company's own site, not a copy.
Sources
- Get your dog or cat microchipped — GOV.UK, accessed 14 November 2026.