The disappearance of a beloved pet is always extremely stressful and traumatic for the owner. Cat and dog owners are ready to go to any length to make their search successful and productive. Today, many unscrupulous people try to make dishonest business deals to scam people who have lost their pet. They can, and will, resort to any means of deception in order to extort money from the owner by any means. Unfortunately, scammers quite often succeed in this area, so we do urge you to be extremely cautious. The most common method of fraud is a call to your number with information (of course, knowingly false) that your cat or dog has been found. They will then typically request that you transfer money to a bank card or phone number, and only after that will the person bring you your “pet”. Never agree to such a scheme!
In 99% of cases, this action will end in a standard fraud: your money will appear in the fraudster´s account and you will never see your missing pet as nobody really found them. It was a scam.
Are you interested in how fraudsters target owners of missing pets? It is simple – when you post a listing about a lost pet on any network or website, you clearly indicate the contact details. It is then a matter of technique which fraudsters have mastered.
We warn you once again to never become a victim of such a scam!
In order to avoid such unpleasant situations, we recommend that you do the following: after receiving a call from someone who has allegedly found a missing pet, and wishes to receive a reward, offer them another scheme. You yourself arrive at the specified address, pick up your lost pet and hand over money. The fraudster will immediately reject this idea and refuse, simply choosing to hang up on the phone.
Of course, a missing pet is a traumatic situation. However, do not allow unscrupulous people to take advantage of your misfortune.