BALTIMORE, Md. — A grey American Shorthair, Melody, isn’t just any cat.
She’s a member of Sonia Reyes Ramos’ family and she thought her prayers had been answered when BARCS called to say the missing animal had been found, but was in critical need of care.
“They said the animal was hit by a car and she was paralyzed and she needed surgery,” recalled Reyes Ramos, “So I called my sister, because we share custody of her and I was like, ‘It needs to be done’, and she’s like, ‘Yes, she has insurance and let’s go ahead and do it’, you know?”
Tragically, it turns out Melody is still missing and BARCS wasn’t behind that call requesting thousands of dollars to save her life.
“They have spoofed our phone number and they’re calling those people and asking for money through Cash App, Venmo, PayPal,” said BARCS Asst. Communications Director Noelle Patterson, “They’re claiming that they have their pets here at BARCS and that they’re under some kind of emergency.”
Thus far, BARCS has identified six people targeted with the scam, and one of them paid the $2600 the con artist demanded.
And it’s not just the pet owners who have something at stake here. BARCS also relies on donations, and it’s now concerned that this might shake the confidence of those willing to donate.
Fortunately, Reyes Ramos asked the right questions to tip her off that something was wrong.
“I asked for proof of her. They said it was unethical to send pictures of an injured animal,” said Reyes Ramos, “I asked for her microchip number, because they said they found my information through a microchip, they couldn’t provide that number.”
Although Melody’s owner didn’t suffer the potential financial cost associated with the hoax, it has taken an emotional toll on a woman desperate to find her pet all over again.
“I thought I was doing everything that had to be done with the flyers, the online post,” said Reyes Ramos, “but it seems they took advantage of that, but I still have hope that she’ll come back."
