CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Animal Friends Humane Society is warning the public about a possible scam involving missing pets.
Megan Poffenbarger, the shelter’s communications director, told FOX 19 that for several months, they’ve received reports from pet owners that their shelter has been imitated by anonymous callers in an attempt to take money from people looking for lost dogs.
Jonathan Perez was one potential victim. He explained to FOX 19 on Wednesday that his dog Prince went missing on December 29.
He said that he received a phone call from a number with no caller identification. He explained that they claimed to be with Animal Friends Humane Society.
Perez said that the caller backed up that claim by making him look up the phone number for the shelter, then called him back from a number that was one digit away from the real one.
He said the caller claimed to have Prince but he had been hit by a car. To pay for medical costs, the caller asked him to send $2,000.
Perez called the actual shelter, where they assured him they didn’t call.
“Never once would we ever ask anybody to call and give us their information over the phone to try to save their animal,” Poffenbarger said. “We’re in the business of saving animals already, and we don’t need your money to do so.”
Perez was reunited with his dog on Tuesday, and he was perfectly fine.
Poffenbarger stressed that they don’t ask for money from any rescue.
She said she’s encouraging people who receive similar calls to contact law enforcement.
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Source link https://www.fox19.com/2025/01/09/butler-co-animal-shelter-warns-scam-targeting-lost-dog-owners/
