LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It's not uncommon to receive a call from Little Rock Animal Village saying a lost pet has been found, but scammers are doing the same thing.
However, the imposter does not own a pet. They want the owner's money.
“It's infuriating and it makes my blood boil,” Betsy Robb said with friends at the Little Rock Animal Village. “This is the most despicable scam I can think of.”
This is not the first time scammers have targeted vulnerable pet owners.
Little Rock Animal Services Manager Tracy Rourke said they are posing as the Little Rock Animal Village.
“They go online and see people who have lost pets,” Roark said. [Little Rock Animal Village] They keep their animals and ask them to pay for them. ”
Because this is a scam, Little Rock Animal Village usually does not have lost pets. In other words, the owner was left with no money and no hope, and Rob saw that happen.
“I spent everything trying to keep myself from falling apart,” Rob said. “It's truly a heart-breaking, soul-breaking, despicable act.”
Robb said scammers continue to use this scam.
“This is something we've been looking at for a year now,” Rob said. “It happens every few months.”
Rourke said if someone is trying to find out if it's a Little Rock Animal Village, they need to know that it's all about money.
“We don't accept money over the phone,” Roark said. “To pick up an animal, you must come and pay in person.”
Rourke's best advice is to hang up and call Animal Village directly to find out the truth, even if it's not a scammer.
“Be sure to look at your pet before spending money,” Rourke says.
Unfortunately, scams like this occur frequently.
“For fraudsters, it's like playing whack-a-mole, because every day there's a new scam,” Robb said.
Robb said that in addition to pet owners doing their research, microchips can save a broken heart.
“When pets are microchipped, they can usually be reunited with their families quickly,” Rob says. “That's the best way to ensure we're reunited with them.”
Rourke and Rob urge anyone who falls victim to this scam to report it to the police and put an end to it.
