A particularly cruel scam is surfacing in central Iowa that preys on people who’ve lost a pet.
Mackenzie Olk, spokeswoman for the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, says the agency is getting calls from people who’ve put up signs or posted online that they’ve lost a dog or cat along with a phone number to call — and scammers are swooping in.
“Unfortunately, they’ll call this number and claim that the ARL has the animal in our care and that they have to pay a third-party payment processor in order to reclaim their pet,” Olk says. “The reports that we’re getting are multiple thousands of dollars.”
In another version of the scam, a caller who claims to be with the ARL has contacted owners of lost pets and falsely claimed the animal was found and needed urgent medical care.
“Pet owners are being targeted during a really emotional time when their pet is lost and they’re willing to do almost anything to reclaim that pet,” Olk says. “Unfortunately, the pet is A) not in our care, and B), they’re being scammed out of thousands of dollars for a reclaim.”
Getting a call like this could send some people into a panic, but Olk says pet owners need to think carefully before blindly sending money to some caller.
“The first thing you should do is always verify that the person is actually a representative of the ARL or any other shelter they’re claiming to be,” Olk says. “Lost pets are always going to be placed on — if they’re in the ARL’s care — they’re going to be placed on two different websites. That’s going to be PetcoLoveLost.org and IowaPetAlert.com.”
Those websites show photos of the pet and basic information about when and where it was found.
Olk notes, reputable shelters will never ask for payment up front without giving you the opportunity to visit their facility and see your pet.
