When pet owners post online notices looking for lost animals, scammers often are the first to respond. And they aren't looking to help.
This story is part of an occasional series about scams occuring in central Pennsylvania and how people can protect themselves.
Moments after Carroll’s post hit the Find Toby page, her cell phone dinged with a text message: “I got your cat.”They said they were with an animal control group and needed her to confirm a code to “make sure you’re not fake” before they could proceed with reuniting her with her lost cat. Situations like that are playing out daily in Pennsylvania as part of a relatively new scam designed to use your phone number to set up fraudulent accounts.
They also refuse or avoid saying where they found the animal. Instead, they ask for verification by confirming a six-digit code sent to your phone. But animal rescues say they would never demand payment over the phone to release a found pet. There might be a small fee involved once the pet’s owner comes to the shelter but not before that.
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