PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Lost pet owners should be wary of scammers.
According to the Palm Beach County Department of Public Safety Animal Care and Control Division (PBCACC), scammers have recently been targeting owners of lost pets. According to PBCACC, concerned community members can post their contact information on one of several stray websites and receive calls or text messages from someone claiming to be an ACC employee.
Ariel Weinberger said, “It’s honestly heartbreaking when pet owners are given false hope, because when you have a pet, you get a phone call, and I… In our case, the animal has never been to our shelter.” , public relations specialist for Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control.
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A caller reports that a lost animal is injured and the owner needs to send money to cover the emergency medical treatment the pet needs. PBCACC says it will not ask for money via phone calls or text messages to retrieve animals. The organization also said it will continue to treat injured animals while tracking down their owners if pets are found.
“It’s not an animal care or management job. If an animal is injured and it concerns us, we will do our best to treat it. We will do our best to find the owner, but we will not pay the bills. We will not withhold treatment until we receive it,” Weinberger said.
Common pet websites include:
PetCo Love LostPawBoostLoxahatchee Lost and Found (FB Page)NextDoorSNAP
While recent storms may have triggered these scammers, officials say it’s not the first time they’ve seen such scams.
“Unfortunately, it happens sporadically. As far as I know, it happened in March, then in July, and just yesterday we received reports of another outbreak,” Weinberger said. spoke.
PBCACC says if pet owners receive a suspicious call, they are directed to report it to law enforcement and the agency where the lost pet is registered.
For more information, visit the PBCACC website at pbcgov.org/animal.
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