The scammers are at it again. This time, they are preying on the emotions of people whose pets are missing. The Montgomery County Animal Resource Center recently posted a scam warning on its Facebook page. According to the center, people claiming to be affiliated with the organization are contacting owners of lost pets and pretending to be them. They have been found, but you will need to verify the code sent to you before you can adopt your pet. The center warns people not to enter the code as it can steal personal information and commit identity theft. Eli Hurley, executive director of the Warren County Humane Society, said the scam hasn't hit yet. Whether it’s Montgomery County, Hamilton County, Clermont, any of those, we’re probably going to see it eventually,” Hurley said. Hurley said most shelters never ask people to begin the adoption process before finding and identifying a lost pet. “If you have a lost pet, at least in our county, which I believe most counties do, we do that by going into the facility itself and identifying the pet.” I urge you to do so,” Hurley said. Never give anyone money or enter a verification code in advance, he says. If they ask for any of that, it could be a scammer trying to profit from someone's desperate situation. “You have one for your pet,'' Harley said.
The scammers are at it again. This time, it preys on the emotions of people whose pets are missing.
The Montgomery County Animal Resource Center recently posted a scam warning on its Facebook page.
According to the center, people claiming to be affiliated with the organization contact owners of lost pets and pretend to have found them, but they must authenticate the code sent to them before they can claim their pets. That's what it means.
The center warned people not to enter the code as it is a ploy to steal personal information and could lead to identity theft.
Eli Hurley, executive director of the Warren County Humane Society, said he hasn't been scammed yet.
“It trickles up and trickles down. If you hear about something happening in other areas, whether it's Montgomery County, Hamilton County, Clermont, any of those, you're probably going to eventually see it.” '' said Hurley.
Hurley said most shelters never ask people to start the adoption process before finding and identifying a lost pet.
“If your pet gets lost, at least in our county, which I think most counties do, we ask that you come to the facility itself and identify the pet,” Hurley said. .
He said you should never give anyone money in advance or enter a verification code.
If they ask for either, it could be a scammer trying to profit from someone's desperate situation.
“It's easy for them to prey on your sense of urgency and love for your pet,” Hurley says.
