LOST A PET? BEWARE OF SCAMMERS

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Vincent, lost cast from Del Cerro Reservoir area, is still missing.If you find him, please contact Amanda Everett at abeverett.personal@gmail.com,  or 619-261-4717.

July 9, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – When Amanda Everett lost her cat, Vincent, she posted notices online in hopes of finding help to locate her missing pet. Instead, she says, thieves tried to scam her into giving them money for emergency surgery on her cat, whom they falsely claimed had been brought to a local shelter. Other scammers sought to trick her into giving our personal information that could be used for identity theft.

Everett posted this warning on social media, which she has given ECM permission to reprint.

I've received two text message scams asking for me to input a code for verification of my identity. These people are trying to steal personal information; they do not have your pet, and they are exploiting the PawBoost platform. This was easy to recognize. 

Last night, however, I received a call from a private number and a call back from a spoofed caller ID that said "public service" and even had the animal control number in the caller ID. The caller was saying that Vince was dropped off at the Chula Vista animal control facility and that they scanned his microchip to get my info. They said he was hit by a car and needed surgery to survive and that it would require over $3000 deposit immediately by venmo for the vet to start the surgery. They assured me he would survive, that there would be a 3-week recovery, and that I could pick him up the same night after hours.

 I was so excited to see him and so worried about him being injured that I almost fell for it. If it weren't for a couple of good people in my life talking me down, I would have fallen for it. 

They would not verify the microchip number or send me a picture, and they had many reasons for this that seemed to make sense in the moment. They used information from my posts to make me think it was him. 

When the man on the phone started to realize I wasn't going for it, he started shaming me about not caring for Vincent. That's when I knew my friends were right, that it was a scam, and that Vincent is still out there lost.

It's really hard to be savvy of these scammers while grieving a lost loved one. If you are in this situation, please beware of scammers.

All the best to you and yours. I hope that if you've lost a pet, you will be reunited soon.