Scammers bilking people looking for lost pets

[Margot Lane]

Read an article just now about people claiming to work at animal shelters saying they have your lost pet (having gotten your number via social media or a poster) then asking for money for their return via an app or a gift card. Do not fall for this!

 

[fionasmom]

This is happening here. Some scammers do not even say that they work for shelters, but have other leads.

A variation, which is playing out right now locally, is that someone found a Frenchie and posted a Found notice. Another party showed up and claimed the dog, "accidentally" forgot to bring proof of ownership but the dog was friendly to them, and have refused to return it to the rightful owner. No microchip, unfortunately, but proof of vet records.

 

[iPappy]

Read an article just now about people claiming to work at animal shelters saying they have your lost pet (having gotten your number via social media or a poster) then asking for money for their return via an app or a gift card. Do not fall for this!

This is one of those "what is wrong with people" moments.

 

[kashmir64]

This happened here recently to a lady. She however, thought it was a scam and demanded a picture of her dog to prove they had it. They sent a picture of a dog that looked nothing like hers.
Stupid scammers.

 

[LokiLamia]

and that, Ladies and Gentlemen; is why I stick my introverted ass in the house. I am so sorry people are so awful. That is a cold cold scammer.

 

[Caspers Human]

... Another party showed up and claimed the dog, "accidentally" forgot to bring proof of ownership but the dog was friendly to them, and have refused to return it to the rightful owner. No microchip, unfortunately, but proof of vet records.

This is one reason why I'm a proponent of microchipping your pets. If somebody calls you claiming to be from an animal shelter, ask them for your pet's chip number.

Every animal shelter in the US is required to scan all animals they take in for chips. Most vets have scanners, too. Whenever we take one of our cats to the vet for their annual checkup, we have the vet scan their chips to be sure they are still working.

If somebody calls you and claims to have your cat, just ask them for the chip number. If they are really from an animal shelter, they'll already have the number on hand when they call you because that's the law. If they aren't from a shelter, ask them to take the cat to the nearest vet to have the chip scanned. Tell them that, if it does turn out to be your cat, to leave it at the vet and you will collect the cat from there. Tell them that you'll pay the vet bill. (Payed to the vet, not the person!) If you are offering a reward, leave it with the vet and the person can get the reward from there.

Any honest person who actually does have your cat should agree to this without question.

Any decent vet would also agree to this, just out of professional courtesy.

Leaving the cat with the vet helps ensure that they actually do have your cat and that it will be properly cared for until you can retrieve it. Having the vet turn over the reward prevents the other person from trying to pull a fast one while, at the same time, proving that you're not going to welch out on your promise, either.

Both of our cats are microchipped, even though they are both indoor cats. What would happen if one of them accidentally got out and couldn't get back in because you didn't notice?

Chipping a cat takes less than a minute to do. It's not very expensive. It costs less than $100. In our community, the county government offers subsidies to vets for microchipping pets. It only cost $30.00 to get our youngest cat, Elliot, microchipped. IMHO, thirty bucks is cheap insurance.

Another thing I suggest doing is to take a good picture of your pet and make note of any distinguishing features. Our "little one," Elliot has ragged ears from being in fights before we rescued him. Those little cuts and notches are like fingerprints. Our eldest, Casper, has a distinctive primordial pouch and he also has a missing tooth. Again, as good as fingerprints.

Print your picture out, take it to your vet and have them put it in your pet's record folder. If, ever, that cat shows up at the vet, they have instant identification. If the cat is found some place else, have that person take it to your vet. If the picture and the microchip match, you have ironclad proof that it's your cat and nobody can play games with you.

Petnapping is not a new phenomenon. It's been going on as long as I can remember. Petnappers can use the internet, these days, to scam more people but, regardless of the method, it's still the same scheme.

To be honest, petnapping IS pretty rare. It's just because of the internet that we hear about it more often. However, that doesn't mean that we can't be prepared in case our pets get lost or stolen.

How does the saying go? An ounce of prevention... ??

 

[fionasmom]

Caspers Human lots of good advice. My dog's vet actually takes their own pics for their files which provides an official back up copy with vet records attached.

I own my own microchip scanner. Most people think that you need some clearance to get one, but you don't. It has saved me a huge amount of time and trouble, especially with cats. It is very useful with stray cats, or suspected strays, because if you can get within a certain distance from them it registers a reading if there is a chip. There is also a microchip lookup site which will tell you which company owns the chip so that you can call them and get the ball rolling to get the animal back home.

There is a lot of dognapping out here. Every time I get a notification of a missing Frenchie, I am relatively sure that it was stolen. Cute, small dogs are next on the list, even mixed breeds.

 

[Caspers Human]

My dog's vet actually takes their own pics for their files which provides an official back up copy with vet records attached.

I don't know why more vets don't do that! With digicams being as cheap as they are, every animal that comes through the door could have its picture taken!

Yes, chip scanners are available from the internet. A cheapo model costs how much? Less than $100?
I've been meaning to get one but my budget is tight. Whenever I can save up a few extra bucks...