The Humane Rescue Alliance is alerting the D.C. region to a new scam targeting people who have lost their pets.
It involves a person claiming to be an employee or a veterinarian from the organization, saying they have found your missing pet, and trying to pressure the pet owner to give money to get their beloved animal back.
Tim Moyer, the chief law enforcement officer for HRA, said you should, under no circumstances, send the scammers money.
“They need some emergency payment because the animal is in need of medical care, was hit by a car or something to that effect,” Moyer said.
He said pet owners should take a different approach, instead calling law enforcement or a reputable animal welfare organization, such as the HRA.
“Contact the agency that they are claiming to be calling from,” he added.
Moyer said scammers are sophisticated and appear to regularly monitor public lost pet posts, including on social media, neighborhood apps and lost pet websites to find vulnerable people to target.
Kelly Whittier, HRA’s director of public affairs, said her group and other animal rescue groups would never demand payment over the phone to return a lost pet, and those that want a pet owner to send money urgently via a payment app, wire transfer or gift card are up to no good.
“Pet owners who have lost their pet are obviously very desperate to be reunited with them, and I think that makes them also very vulnerable,” Whittier said. “The best thing that we can do is let folks know that this is a scam that’s going around the region. They’re certainly making the rounds to plenty of pet owners in D.C.”
She said some of the scammers have demanded hundreds of dollars from pet owners with the promise they’ll return a pet they do not have.
“We definitely encourage people not to give out their personal information, certainly not their credit card information or banking information,” she said.
The HRA says if you’re missing a pet, report it to the HRA or your local animal control office and take whatever steps you feel are necessary to get the word out. If someone claims to be from the HRA, make note of the incoming phone number on your caller ID and call the HRA directly at 202-723-5730.
The HRA said it’s urging all pet owners to spread the word about this scam because the more people know about what’s taking place, the less successful the fraudsters will be.
Editor’s note: This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Tim Moyer’s name.
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