RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — It's a scam targeting pet owners at their most vulnerable. The missing pet was found, but the pet was injured and they needed money for emergency surgery.
Roddy Terrell hopes what happened to him will prevent others from falling for scams.
Terrell's cat Jonesy has been missing for more than two months. He received a call on Tuesday with the caller ID reading “Wake County Animal Center.”
“So right away, I think this is about Jonesy, it has to be,” Terrell said.
However, Terrell quickly learned that the person on the other end of the call was a scammer.
“That one phone conversation shattered everything,” Terrell said. “I spent $700 and still don't know where my cat is.”
Terrell said the caller described Jonesy and said a good Samaritan had brought him in. The caller said the cat was hit by a car and will need surgery, but is expected to be okay.
“I started crying. I mean, I got very emotional,” he said. “These animals are family…they are our children.”
So Terrell sent $700 through PayPal to pay for what he thought was an emergency surgery. He was told to send it as “friends and family” rather than the business option so it could be processed faster.
He said he considers that a red flag. Terrell told her husband, who had questions, so she decided to call the Wake County Animal Center. Then he realized that Johnsy was not there.
Wake County Animal Services Director Dr. Jennifer Federico said she doesn't know how many calls the front desk has received about the incident, but she has seen several posts on social media.
“Oh, it's very frustrating because they prey on humans when they're looking for pets when they're at their most desperate,” Federico said.
If the center adopts a missing pet, she said, people will call during business hours and will be charged a collection fee. We only accept cash, checks, and credit cards.
“I think the most important thing is that if your pet goes missing and we let you know that your pet is here, you just need to come here,” Federico said.
Terrell hopes people remember this and others don't fall for the scam.
“It was horrible. Not only did I feel stupid for falling into something like this, but I was also just emotionally spent. I was really, really excited about the cat coming home.” “I was doing it,” Terrell said.
Terrell contacted her bank and said the refund was being held in her account while the bank investigated. He also filed a police report with the Garner Police Department, where he lives. A ministry spokeswoman said the matter was under investigation.
