BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter), the MD SPCA, and pet owners are being targeted by phone scammers.
They are warning pet owners who posted about their furry family members being missing online to watch out for these callers.
According to BARCS, these scammers are pretending to be shelter employees while spoofing legitimate shelter phone numbers.
When they call people who have missing pets, they falsely state their pet has been found in critical condition and in need of expensive medical procedures.
The scammers then ask for a payment for said procedures via Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, or other third-party payment apps.
NOTE: BARCS or the MD SPCA will ever ask for these types of emergency payments, as they don't have official Venmo or PayPal accounts.
“This scam first appeared last fall and seemed to disappear for a while," said BARCS Director of Philanthropy and Communications Noelle Patterson.
"Now it’s back—and unfortunately it’s affecting multiple shelters in our area."
Unfortunately, there is no real defense against spoofing scams.
The shelters are asking for people who have encountered these scams to file reports with the FTC or FCC and to the spread the word.
“The best defense we have right now is our voice," said Ethan Salem, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Maryland SPCA. "We’re urging people to stay vigilant, watch out for suspicious calls, and never send payment or give out personal information over the phone."
If you receive a suspicious call, do not send any money. Instead, report it by emailing BARCS at info@barcs.org or contacting the Maryland SPCA at info@mdspca.org. Every report helps track these incidents and build a case for stronger action against phone scammers.
