Scams

Snickers: Lost, Found, Sold, Recovered – Scams on the Rise

Stray Dog, Found, Sold, Recovered

Snickers – Reunited with his adoring family thanks to an honest person.


Snickers was found within an hour of going missing by an unscrupulous individual who tried to sell her for $25. He then either sold or gave her away to a lovely gentleman who took great care of her this past week. He was mortified to learn that Snickers had a family that loved her and was looking for her. He returned her immediately.

Unfortunately, this is not an unusual story – except for the honesty and kindness of the gentleman who adopted Snickers not knowing he was some little boy’s lost pet. It seems that lately we hear more and more stories about people unwilling to return a pet they have found. Sometimes it’s unscrupulous people who try to profit by selling a stray they have found. Then there are those with good intentions but poor judgement who rush to judgement and decide to keep a stray they have found because  they think it looks neglected or just because it got lost which they take as evidence of neglect. With all the resources there are out there, including Pet FBI which is free and all the social media, there is no excuse for not  trying to trace the owner of a stray.

Then there is outright pet theft, which is a lot more common than people think. We get reports from all over, not just “bad neighborhoods”.  Never leave your pet unattended. We have reports of pets snatched from screened porches, fences yards, and even especially from cars.

Pet FBI Exposes Scams on WSYX ABC 6 “Good Day Columbus”

Pet FBI on WSYX ABC TV

Pet FBI on “Good Day Columbus”!

Our dynamite Facebook Administrator. Char, has been coping with several scams reported by our Facebook posters. We had the opportunity to alert people through a spot on our local ABC station: WSYX ABC 6 . Click this link to watch the video interview about scams affecting lost and found pets.

A problem we are running into more and more often is having multiple people claim the same found pet. Usually it’s a purebred dog of some kind. People either claim the dog to keep or more often to sell. We cannot overstate the importance of demanding some kind of proof of ownership before you relinquish a pet you have found to someone who claims it. You should require vet records, license documentation and a photo. You can also tell if a dog is really being claimed rightfully by the dog’s behavior towards the people claiming it. Producing a Craigslist “Lost Pet” classified does not constitute sufficient proof because the scammers sometimes use the information in the Found Report to post a phony Lost Report after the fact.

The other scam people need to be aware of are the numerous for profit lost and found web sites that promise various contact services for a fee. Some of them are contacting people who post on Pet FBI repeatedly and pressuring them to buy their services. One such site that exhibits logos from the ASPCA, HSUS and the Better Business Bureau although they are in no way endorsed by those organizations. They have a donation link but they are not non-profit. They also claim an unrealistically high success rate.

Before engaging a contact service – and some are legitimate and can be helpful – be sure to read off-site reviews and contact the BBB in their zip where they are located.

SCAM ALERT!

Some of our our Facebook friends have alerted us that they are being contacted by a man with a heavy accent posing as a representative of Pet FBI and offering to help locate their missing pet for a fee. He is calling from 213 221 1099, which is a land line in Los Angeles. We have reported it to the Ohio Attorney General (because he is contacting people in Ohio).

Unfortunately, if there is a way to abuse a good thing, someone will try to take advantage.  We have chosen to enable Pet FBI users to contact each other directly. We feel that immediate contact can be critical in recovering a lost pet and we trust your judgement to decide on the legitimacy of  those who contact you through information on Pet FBI.

A few years ago someone was going door to door wearing a Pet FBI t-shirt and asking for donations! Please take note: Pet FBI is strictly non-commercial, we do not SELL any services; we do not solicit door-to-door. We are not associated with any pet detectives and we warn people to be very cautious about paying for any service that offers to “track” your pet or make contacts for you. There are a few that are truly helpful but many are just out to exploit people in distress.

Please be sure to read reviews of any lost pet service you are thinking of engaging before you pay for anything.