Urgent Alert: Scammers Exploit Vulnerable Pet Owners in Indianapolis with Deceptive Tactics

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INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) – A new wave of scams is preying on pet owners desperately searching for their missing animals.

Fraudsters are now impersonating representatives from local animal shelters and humane societies. They contact pet owners, falsely claiming that they have located the missing pet. The scam unfolds when they request money for supposed veterinary care before the animal can be returned.

Local pet organizations report a rise in these fraudulent activities, with scammers misrepresenting themselves as part of their teams.

“We’ve noticed a few instances of this scam, and I assure you, it’s not us. It’s absolutely not us,” stated Donna Casamento, CEO of IndyHumane.

Below is a post on the app Nextdoor where a person claimed to have received a call from what she thought was IndyHumane. The caller told her they found her cat but that it had been hit by a car and that she needed to pay for surgery to get it back. Unfortunately, what they thought was the possibility of finding their pet was fake.

“Got a call from indyhumane (no caller id) stating my cat was brought in and hit by a car and I have to pay for his surgery NOW,” the Nextdoor user claimed. “Was transferred to financial support after giving whomever I was speaking with consent to treat him. No options to do payment plans, I gave his microchip number and apparently it was a match. Now I am scared it’s a scam.”

IndyHumane says they would never do that.

“There are under no circumstances that IndyHumane would contact a pet owner and say you must give us money before we treat your animal,” Casamento said.

According to the Better Business Bureau, there’s been an increase in pet scams this year.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has also received calls about the scam as well as calls about lost pets. While it’s hard to track down the scammers and arrest them, the police did offer tips on finding different ways to verify that the shelter has your pet.

Lt. William Carter with IMPD first suggests calling back the organization that the caller claims to be affiliated with but from a verified number to ask, “‘Hey, do you have my animal?’”

“When you call, just slow down and verify the information for anyone claiming they have the pet,” he says.

The IMPD also suggests never giving your pet’s microchip number over the phone. If an actual shelter or rescue has your pet, they should be able to provide you with the number first.

IndyHumane said they are frustrated with this new scam, especially because it targets pet owners who are already vulnerable.

“They are preying on these people who have lost their pet or searching for them and would do anything to get them back,” Casamento said. “That’s not appropriate for people to be taking advantage of our citizens in that way. It’s just not right.”

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Urgent Alert: Scammers Exploit Vulnerable Pet Owners in Indianapolis with Deceptive Tactics

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