What to Know About the “Lost Pet” Scam
There are so many scams these days that it’s hard to know what’s real and what isn’t. But for some pet owners, a new scam—involving lost pets—can be particularly nefarious. And it’s one you should be aware of.
According to the San Diego Humane Society, the scam works like this: Pet owners who’ve lost their animals get a call, often from blocked or private phone numbers, posing as someone from the Humane Society or a similar organization. They tell the pet owner that they’ve found their animal, and that the animal needs immediate, emergency medical treatment.
They then request the pet owner to pay for the medical treatment by sending money through a payment app. While this may seem like an obvious scam to some, it’s the emotional part that can stick with desperate pet owners, who may be relieved to hear that their pet has been found. They’re willing to do anything, with clouded judgment, to make sure they’re safe and sound.
But, of course, once the money is sent off, it’s not coming back, and neither is the pet. It’s heartbreak upon heartbreak, in many cases.
How do the scammers pull it off? Knowing that they may be able to use a lost pet owners’ emotions against them, it may be easier to scam someone who’s desperate to be reunited with their animal than promising them money—as many other common scams do. As such, some of these scammers may simply skim social media and find people posting about their lost pets, and target those individuals. While it may make a lot of sense to post about a lost pet on social media—telling our friends, families, and neighbors to keep an eye out—it can also give scammers some fodder.
With that in mind, there are some relatively easy ways to recognize a scam, or to avoid being targeted if you’re unfortunate enough to lose a pet.
For instance, remember that the Humane Society, or a veterinary practice, is probably not going to call you up and ask that you send them money over Zelle or another payment app. That should be an immediate red flag. If the phone number you’ve received a call from is suspect, that should be another.
You can always ask for verification. Ask the other party to send you a photo of your pet at their facility, for example, or hang up, call the “organization” that has your pet, and ask them to verify that they indeed have the animal, or if you’re being targeted. You can also limit the information you post about your lost animal on social media, which may give the scammer less information to use against you.
Of course, this is all difficult, especially if you have lost a pet and are desperate to get any sort of good news about their welfare. But remember: Keep your head. Use your judgment. Know that there are people out there looking to take advantage of others when they’re vulnerable.
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