Came close to getting ripped off by Kevin Peters...

I guess this guy has alot of black marks on his record and even aliases. He contacted me about an ad I posted wanting Haitian Boas. He contacted me and I even talked to him on the phone. he said he had brown ones and I'm really looking more for reds if I can find them. I was contemplating settling for the browns until I checked his name on here. Needless to say, I'm not contemplating it anymore. His email address suggests that his name is even Peter Skallan. I checked that name and there are no replies to it. When I figured out his real name, I found what I needed. I used to really hate this forum because I think it allows for alot of unecessary comments that people can deliver basically anonymously. But at the same time, it really does provide a good source of information, if you can ignore all the bull$hit that comes with it. Just wanted to share my experience.

What email adress did he use to contact you?

I just saw that someone else inquired about the same guy only 2 days ago. Someone asked for any new information. Here's all I have: The phone number he gave me that I did reach him at is 925-400-5013 and the email that I was corresponding with him through is peterskallan@yahoo.com. Like I said before, I believe this forum can be very absurd, detrimental and unfair to people, (myself included at one time) but this guy has nothing but bad press. So I don't mind at all giving a heads up about him to any unsuspecting person. Getting ripped off sucks. And it's hard to know who's who over the internet.

Just got off the phone with everyones favorite wanabe Venomous snake dealer/ reptile expert.... This is in fact a new # for him... Lets just say hearing me on the other end of the line was one hell of a wake up call for him... He was in shock and asked how did I get this Phone #... For all of you who are owed anthing by this pathetic, lying cheating sack of snake .... call away, make his life miserable and change is number all over again... It will catch up with him in the end no matter what...


Alfredo Veloso

I'm glad I didn't get taken. I was also thinking, he replied to me about Haitian Boas, (which I'm sure he probably doesn't even have). He replied like an hour after I posted the Wanted ad. The only response I've had in almost a week and I'm really not expecting to hear very much. Striatus are very few and far between. Most people don't even know about them and the ones that do, know how difficult they are to keep. Especially babies, which feed almost always exclusively on anoles for up to 2 years. He must have saw my ad and took advantage of this. That they're so rare. So maybe I'd be so surprised to find a lead so soon, that I'd just bite right away. Like I said, glad I didn't. He should have told me he had red ones. Then maybe he would have gotten me. Haha. Also, when he was describing them to me, it seemed almost like he was asking me what they looked like. Like a questioning tone in his voice instead of stating fact. Just a clue that I picked up on after the fact. Some people man. (Actually most)

Well, I wasn't going to say anything about this just yet, but he hasn't called back yet so I doubt I'll hear back from him. I was called about a week or so ago from Kevin asking me to sell him all of the cobras I have available. Initially he didn't say anything about where he was or any other information that might ID him, but when I asked where he lived he said he had a CA address but picks up all of his venomous snakes in OR. Wham, I knew who he was. I guess he didn't realize that he had already tried to scam me over on a mamba I was selling a number of months ago, but I went with it hoping he would give me some information. I didn't press anything too hard, because I didn't want him to get scared. I figured any information given to me would first be reported to the Tracy police dept, CA Fish and Game, and OR Fish and Game, and THEN I'd post on here. Well since I haven't heard back from him I guess I'll just go ahead and post here. By the way, when he called my cell, the number showed up as restricted, so he must have entered the code to block caller ID (go figure). I don't have caller ID on my phone so that didn't pick it up.

To get to the main story, he again offered me mainland Australian animals that he obviously doesn't have. When he spoke with me earlier this year, he sent me a picture of a coastal taipan he got off of David Williams website. I knew I had seen the picture before but couldn't remember where until I ran across probably a couple months later. This time I asked him where he got them, and he said he couldn't say, but would be interested in trading me one or two of either his coastals or inlands for the snakes I had offered. Obviously I knew this was bullcrap but I went with it anyway hoping he'd offer over some more information. When I told him he would have to ship first (sure I'll take a free mainland coastal if he really had one..lol) he said I could just drive over and get them since I lived in AR (he mistook AR for Arizona, instead of Arkansas). I think it was at that point when he realize who I was because he tone changed slightly, and I believe that is why I haven't heard back from him. Anyway, just wanted to add my 2 cents back into this. He is definitely still around and still trying to scam people. I find it hilarious that he actually gave out his phone number. As Alfredo said, call away! Make his life hell like he's made many other peoples' (not mine though, thank goodness) and when he changes his number, we'll find it, make it known and again, and continue calling him.

By the way, if no one has done this yet, before he changes his number and such (if it isn't too late) it probably would be a good idea to go ahead and report him again to CA's Fish and Game, let them know he's still trying to get illegal snakes, claiming he has illegal snakes, and still trying to scam people, so maybe they can get onto him. Also call the Tracy police dept and give them his new phone number and let them know all the above as well. I'll speak with whomever I need to to give them my side of the story. Good luck!