LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Lost and Found Pet Network has issued a warning to the community about scammers impersonating animal control or acting as an animal cruelty investigator in an attempt to steal personal information from those who recently lost their pets.
"We've seen scammers contacting a pet owner or pet finder immediately after we post the pet. We have people who will text the person that posts a pet saying they have the pet," said Donna Winchell, the Main Administrator for Arkansas Lost and Found Pet Network.
She explained how it's a scam that's not new for their organization but that it has picked up traction over the years.
"They will then proceed to ask if they can send a six-digit code to the person, and they will give the pet back. So if you think about it, they are trying to get information," She said. "They have the person's number and now they're trying to get a six-digit code, which is what you always need, for instance, to get into your bank account or if you're trying to get into your credit cards, and you need to verify its use."
She shared that the question people ask their organization the most is if there is a way to stop this from happening.
"We've had people ask us well, can you just block the number that it came from? But they use different numbers all the time, so we could block one but there would be more and more all the time," Winchell added.
She also said that the worst thing about this scam is that the scammers are taking advantage of people in a vulnerable state of mind.
"People who have lost their pets, [who are] like members of the family and they're desperate and heartbroken. They'll grab at any straw to try to get their pet back and so they're not thinking very rationally, and they'll do anything to get it back," Winchell explained.
This is why their organization has been doing everything it can to spread the word, but they need more people to help the message spread.
"It's a totally volunteer organization, nobody gets paid. We do it from the privacy of our homes and we're desperately in need of volunteers because right now we're considering having to shut down the site because we don't have enough volunteers," She described.
The purpose of Arkansas Lost and Found Pet Network is to help lost pets reunite with their owners and they said that despite the scams, it's a mission they will pursue until the end.
"Often we know when the pet is back home and we can celebrate with them and sometimes we don't know but we try to do our best to reunite those pets and their owners," Winchell said.
She also urges people to be conscious of whom they are giving a lost pet to if they find one. Don't just drop the cat or dog off to anyone. Be sure to contact your local shelter or animal control if you come across a lost pet.
To learn more about how you can volunteer, please click here.
