COLORADO SPRINGS — We’re learning more about a scam targeting the owners of missing pets in Colorado communities.
Randall Wilson says there’s no doubt he loves his dog Ann and he believes most dog owners in the Pikes Peak region feel the same way about their pets.
”This is a big dog town. There are dogs everywhere,” said Wilson. ”I think we love our dogs as much or more than anything else.”
So when he heard scammers were targeting the owners of missing dogs telling their victims they needed money for their found pets who needed emergency surgery, he wasn’t surprised to hear some people were paying large amounts of money to the fraudsters.
”You get that news and you freak out and you’re like ok, ok, let’s do it. Let’s get it taken care of.” said Wilson.
In places like Castle Rock police investigators say it’s all a scam, with dogs never hurt or even found.
CSU Global’s “Dr. Fraud” J. Michael Skiba says fraudsters find phone numbers for their victims on missing pet posters and on public social media posts.
”The Humane Society reports that about one in three pets during their life will become lost at some point. So, this is definitely problematic,” said Skiba.
He’s concerned about the technology being used to make this situation seem real, but the person calling isn’t really with an area animal shelter.
”They can use AI technology platforms to make it look like they actually have it. They can create videos. So, what I would recommend always is to see the pet in person,” Skiba told News5.
The staff at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region tells news5 this scam isn’t something they’ve seen locally just yet, but they are aware of it and say sharing this warning is important.
”We’re never going to request money right away over the phone. We want you to come in first. We want you to see the animal and to verify it’s your animal,” said Cody Costra, spokesperson for the shelter.
As more pet owners get the news, they fear this is a costly scam that isn’t going away.
”On top of already being afraid that your animal is lost you’ll be willing to do anything to get them back. it’s that kind of a thing,” concerned dog owner Reed Hurst told News5.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’ve lost a pet you can visit this website for our local Humane Societyto search the database to see if your pet has turned up at the shelter, or to file a report so the staff can be on the lookout.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
