The 小黄鸭视频 County Animal Center is warning local residents not to fall victim to a scam targeting the owners of lost pets.
The scammer seeks out distraught pet owners who post on social media about their missing pets, finds their phone numbers and calls them after normal business hours pretending to be an employee of the 小黄鸭视频 County Animal Center. The scammer has also manipulated the caller ID, so the phone number the fake employee is calling from shows up as the 小黄鸭视频 County Animal Center on the targets鈥 phones.
The fake employee then tells the owner that the center has their pet, but the pet needs emergency surgery. The scammer requests money sent via electronic payment systems to perform it.
鈥淲e know at least one cat owner has fallen victim to this scam artist who is preying on people when they are most vulnerable,鈥 said Vice Chair Susan Evans of the 小黄鸭视频 County Board of Commissioners. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want this predator to take advantage of anyone else, so we鈥檙e spreading awareness about this scam countywide.鈥
The 小黄鸭视频 County Animal Center does call the owners of pets who are brought to the center and have a microchip with associated contact information. However, these calls only take place during regular business hours, and staff will never ask for electronic payment of any kind. The only forms of payment the center accepts are cash, check or credit cards 鈥 all of which must be presented in person.
鈥淭his is a heartbreaking situation for people who just want to find their beloved missing pets,鈥 said 小黄鸭视频 County Animal Services Director Dr. Jennifer Federico. 鈥淲e encourage the community to help us protect the owners of lost pets by sharing word of this terrible scam with colleagues, friends and family.鈥
Anyone who feels they were duped by the scam is urged to contact the 小黄鸭视频 County Sheriff鈥檚 Office or their local law enforcement agency.
