ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Animal Services raised the alarm Wednesday to make the public aware of a nationwide scam now possibly targeting owners of lost pets in Central Florida.
Someone pretending to be a “representative” of OCAS recently called a pet owner who had reported her pet as lost/missing, stating they found an injured animal matching the description and had taken it to a partner vet, the shelter said on social media. This individual then provided a PayPal account, telling the pet owner that she needed to pay upfront for emergency medical care, according to the post.
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The scammer in this case used the name “Jack Richardson” and a fake phone number as a contact, the shelter said.
Our staff will never call a member of the public to ask for money. And we always place all the animals under our care on our website, so that an owner is able to reclaim and reunite with them.
Orange County Animal Services | Facebook | Jan. 31 at 4:42 p.m. (excerpt)
This scam has affected animal shelters across the country, the post states.
If you’re called by someone claiming to be an OCAS representative and asking for money in regard to a lost and/or injured animal, the shelter asks that you email it directly and report the call to law enforcement.
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