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Scammers Are Posing As The Animal Shelter Saying They Have People’s Lost Pets
August 8, 2023
Someone is calling Escambia County residents with lost pets claiming to be the animal shelter and asking for $1,500 to retrieve the animal.
The Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare says they have received reports of fraudulent phone calls to the public from persons claiming to represent animal welfare staff. These calls are being targeted to citizens with lost pets, claiming their pet has been brought to the shelter and asking for $1,500 to be sent via Venmo in order to retrieve the pet.
“These calls are not legitimate and are not associated with Escambia County and the Department of Animal Welfare,” a release stated. “The persons calling have “’spoofed’ the animal shelter’s phone number, causing the caller ID to show the shelter’s phone number.
Animal Welfare staff will never ask for funds to be sent via Venmo. If a lost pet is at the shelter, redemption fees will be calculated at the time of redemption. A list of animal welfare service fees is available here.
If your pet is missing, check 24petconnect.com under your zip code and the “Escambia County Florida Animal Services” location. Visit the shelter in person to identify your missing pet. The shelter is located at 200 West Fairfield Drive and open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Pictured: A sampling of the found animals in the Escambia animal shelter as of Monday night. NorthEscambia.com image.
Comments
One Response to “Scammers Are Posing As The Animal Shelter Saying They Have People’s Lost Pets”
Does anyone know if any law enforcement agency is looking into this? In addition to the Animal Shelter number that was spoofed, I do have an additional phone number where I was able to call the scammer back. I did talk to someone at PPD and was told that since they didn’t successfully scam me out of any money, they would not do anything.