Scammers exploit lost pet posts, warns BBB, urging caution with personal info and electronic payments.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — As more pet owners turn to social media for help when their furry friends go missing, scammers are finding new ways to take advantage of their vulnerability.
Michele Mason, president of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), is urging the public to be cautious when posting lost pet information online.
“We understand that people want to try to get help from the community,” Mason said. “But unfortunately, if you start sharing information about both your pet and your personal contact information, it could be giving yourself the opportunity to be a victim of a scam.”
According to the BBB, some scammers pretend to have found a missing pet but demand payment before returning it—often without providing any proof. Others claim to offer drone searches or pet recovery services, asking for money via apps like Cash App or Venmo, only to vanish after being paid.
“If someone can’t give a description of your pet, that’s a big red flag,” Mason said. “But if you put a lot of detail out on your site, that makes it more difficult for you to discern if someone really has found your pet or not.”
Mason also cautioned against sending electronic payments to strangers.
“You never want to give your money in electronic means to someone you don’t know where they make it really difficult for you to track them down,” she said.
To avoid being scammed, the BBB recommends leaving out some specific details in your lost pet post—so you can verify the identity of anyone who claims to have found your animal. Even better, prepare ahead of time.
“This is a great time to remind people that there’s an opportunity to get your pet microchipped or use other means where you can track them, should they get lost,” Mason said. “So you don’t have to be as concerned and not only be able to find your pet easily, but also avoid any kind of potential scams that you could become targeted with.”
NBC affiliate Local3News originally published this story.
