Scammers Pursue People With Lost Pets
Losing a pet is terrible. You are sad, scared and desperate – you are ready to do anything to get your furry friend back. And that makes you an ideal target for scammers.
According to the Better Business Bureau , scammers have recently been trying to take advantage of the owners of missing animals. It works like this:
- You post a message about your lost pet – online, on a poster, or both – and provide your contact information in case someone finds it.
- You will soon receive a text message from someone claiming to have found your pet. But when you ask them to describe it or send you a photo, they answer that they cannot, justifying themselves by the fact that they left the city or they do not have a smartphone.
- They then demand money, a gift card, or some kind of reward to get your pet back.
Don’t fall for it! You are probably desperate to try something to keep your pet safe, but they don’t have your cat or dog . If you give them money, you will never hear of them again.
However, the BBB offers some helpful tips that you can follow to avoid these scams. First, limit the amount of information you post when posting a lost pet. For example, do not share information about your pet’s unique physical characteristics. That way, when someone says they have your pet, you can ask them about it and make sure they actually have one. Second, ask the caller / text message sender for their number so they can call back. They may have used a fake phone number. Finally, always ask them to send you a photo, if possible. If they can send you a photo of your pet that doesn’t look like the one you posted, you know it’s real.