A new scam is targeting local pet owners who’ve lost their pet and posted online about it, the Richmond SPCA tells Axios.
Why it matters: This might be the cruelest scam in history.
How it works: Fraudsters are finding online missing pet posts and calling the owners to tell them their pet has been found, but is injured, Richmond SPCA spokesperson Tabitha Treloar tells Axios.
- They’re using spoofed phone numbers so the call looks like it’s coming from the Richmond SPCA.
- The scammer, impersonating someone from the shelter, says the injured fur baby needs urgent surgery.
- And the shelter, the fraudster says, needs immediate payment via Venmo, Zelle or another payment platform to cover the cost, which is usually thousands of dollars.
What they’re saying: “It’s really devastating for pet guardians to be targeted this way — people are understandably vulnerable when a pet is missing,” Treloar says…