Kern County Animal Services officials (Bakersfield, California) and the consumer group Better Business Bureau (BBB) say scammers are increasingly targeting pet owners who post online about missing animals.
The tactic often begins with a message claiming the pet has been found.
A local reporter in Bakersfield said the problem became clear after her cat, Koda, went missing. She shared a flyer on several lost-pet Facebook groups. Not long after, texts began arriving from people who claimed they had the cat…