When a pet goes missing, it can be very traumatic for the owner. Now, scammers are making money by exploiting the weaknesses of owners of such times.
Lydia Clayton said her aunt's dog Mia, a 3-year-old poodle mix, got lost in Oakland on Sunday.
Clayton, of Antioch, received a call Monday after she posted that she was missing.
“She was brought there by a good Samaritan,” she said.
The phone number was from a city-run evacuation center. The caller said Clayton's aunt's dog, Mia, was injured.
“They have to go through a public process and she has to pay a deposit to start the process,” she said.
Clayton said she knew something was wrong with all of this, but when she was asked to send a payment via the app, she knew it was a sign of fraud.
“He said, 'If you ever get a chance to get money, I'll use Venmo, Cash App or Paypal,' which was a real red flag for me,” she said.
Mr Clayton added that red flags also included suspicious bills sent to Mia who refused to submit photos or verify her microchip number.
Clayton said she also felt it was wrong to call the shelter on a holiday when she couldn't be reached.
The scammer then sent her a text message that read:
“If you don't want to be a responsible pet owner, just say so.”
They are trying to take advantage of families' desperation to find their pets.
“They're in a very vulnerable position at that point,” said Virginia Donahue, executive director of San Francisco Animal Care and Control.
Donahue said she received a call earlier this week from someone asking for answers about a missing pet.
“Fortunately, they called us to confirm. We didn't have the animal, and even if we did, the local shelter would give you a phone call. I can assure you that I will not ask for money,” she said.
In Clayton's case, no money was exchanged.
“As I was talking to him and telling him everything, he hung up on me in my face,” she said.
Clayton added that what the scammer didn't know was that she worked in the pet grooming industry and volunteered at a shelter.
