Lost pet owners often turn to social media platforms with a picture and description of their missing dog or cat.
The hope is family and friends share the information, improving the chances for a reunion.
Exploiting an emotional situation, online scammers are posing as Kent County Animal Shelter staff.
They’re monitoring lost pet owners’ social media posts, making contact and extorting cash.
Shelter Director Angela Hollinshead says a frantic resident recently called after receiving a suspicious phone call about her missing cat.
“Saying that her cat was hit by a car and needed emergency surgery, and she said the person on the phone told her that the surgery would be more than $4,000 and that she needed to pay that, or her cat might not make it. “
Hollinshead says the imposter used information from the woman’s social media post and the call seemed legitimate at first glance.
So good, the scammer was mirroring the Kent County Animal Shelter’s phone number on caller ID.
“We did get a screenshot from the person who received the phone call, and it was our exact phone number, so the scams are pretty crafty.”
Hollinshead says if you receive a suspicious call, hang up and contact the animal shelter directly.
“We don't want to discourage anybody from using social media because it is a wonderful tool to help be reunited with your pet but just always be very careful about if somebody reaches out to you to make sure that you're not becoming a victim of a scammer.”
