WBNS 10TV in Columbus Warns of Scam To Prey on People Who Have Lost Pets

WBNS 10TV in Columbus Warns of Scam To Prey on People Who Have Lost Pets

WARNINGS! -

A so-called “pet finding” business based in California has been contacting Pet FBI users with a promise to find their lost pets for a fee. Fortunately all our visitors are aware that Pet FBI is strictly non-commercial and never charges a fee. They reported the abuse on our Facebook Ohio page and it was picked up by Meghan Matthews of WBNS10TV news. The segment aired during their local newscast.
We have identified the company and filed a complaint with California’s Attorney General. Unfortunately, there are all too many people out there ready to exploit people desperate to get their pets back.

Some pet finding services are ethical and legitimate, but many more are just out for a quick buck and unable to deliver what they promise. Do some research before you pay a company to help find your pet. Do not trust Better Business Bureau logos they paste on their site or exaggerated claims of success. We do not recommend robocalling as a means of contact.

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How “Talking” Can Attract a Cat Back Home

Happy Tails - , , -

Cat and Mom

Mia the cat went missing on Saturday. Her distraught Mom turned to the Pet FBI lost and found pet database at PetFBI.org and the Pet FBI Ohio Facebook page. Our devoted Facebook administrator, Char Reidinger, coached her about what to do. Most cats don’t go very far; they are just laying low. Mom was trying all the tricks when finally on Tuesday evening around 9:30 she tried the most unlikely tip. She grabbed her cell phone and sat outside talking. Mia came trotting right over like “Ho-hum…hiya, Mom…”

Click this link for more of Char’s tried and true tips to attract a cat back home.

Darwin Reunited After Five Weeks Thanks To Pet FBI Database

Happy Tails - -

DarwinA Good Sam found Darwin about half a mile away from home two weeks after he went missing. The Good Sam already had five cats and wisely took him to a vet to be tested for common infectious diseases. The tests came out negative but the vet did not scan the stray cat for a microchip and they did not suggest checking the Pet FBI database.

Three more weeks passed and a friend of the Good Sam suggested she check the Pet FBI database. And there he was! He is pictured here with his best friend Amelia who was thrilled to have him back.
Object Lesson: Possibly the vet thought it was the client’s intention to keep the cat, but knowing it was a stray, they should have checked it for a microchip. In fact, Darwin did have a microchip and would have been home three weeks sooner – which would have spared a lot of grief and worry! We strongly recommend microchipping and ID tags BUT they are not a guarantee of recovery. If your pet goes missing, you must use other resources as well!

Pet FBI was founded in Ohio in 1998 and has a very high success rate in Ohio because it is so well known and widely used. We averaged 145 reunions a month for the last three months within a 200 mile radius of Columbus. We went national only a little over a year ago, in May of 2014, but already the Pet FBI database is the largest national lost and found pet database. Please help promote more happy reunions by referring your vet, your groomer, your local pet supply place and shelters to petfbi.org. It’s completely non-commercial and all services are free!

SCAM ALERT!

WARNINGS! - -

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.

Pet FBI Interviewed on Animal Radio

News -

Our Interview on Animal Radio

Our interview with Animal Radio aired July 3 and 4th  on their 150 syndicated stations all around the country. Here is how you can listen to it:

animal radio
Click this Animal Radio link. In the upper right hand corner of the Animal Radio home page there is a black box. Our segment runs from about minutes 27:30 through about 34:00. Click the play arrow and scroll to our segment.
It will be on the home page the whole week of July 4 and after that it will be archived as show #813.
The show has a very lively format, a mix of the serious, the comic and the unusual, including a segment on a two year old tabby that survived for two months trapped in a futon that was being shipped from Texas to Alaska for some military family. They had postponed their own departure for three days to look for the cat! You can always listen to their programs by using the archive.

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