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Lost Dog Scam hits the Internet

Friday, July 22, 2005

FidoFinder.com, a website that posts notices of lost and found dogs, reported yesterday that some of its users have been exposed to an old scam.

The scam takes advantage of a dog owner who lost their dog. In the "old days" scammers looked at notices posted in newspapers and on sign posts, and then called the dog owner to say that their dog has been found way out in another state. The scammer asks for money to buy a pet carrier and an airplane ticket. After the dog owner sends the money, the scammer walks away.

Apparently, these scammers are taking advantage of websites like FidoFinder.com. These sites can greatly help dog owners by harnessing the power of the Internet. But they also seem to provide scammers with lots of opportunities.

One of their users, Denise Roussy, was contacted by an individual who said he found her lost dog. The individual asked for a $1,000 reward for the return of her dog, though Denise was publicly offering a $250 reward. Denise was smart to inquire about the characteristics the found dog, where he was found, and how the finder got her number and she was able to outsmart the crook.

He said that the dog had a FidoFinder dog tag, which is a special tag that the website offers as an option to its users. Denise knew that her dog did NOT have such a tag, and thus exposed him to be a scammer.

Perhaps the best solution to this, is for every dog owner to get their dog microchipped. If someone calls you saying they found your dog, and they need money to ship it back, simply ask them to hand it off to the nearest shelter. The microchip will prove that it really is your dog, and the shelter will help you get your dog back.

3 Comments:

  • I got an email from Mayowa Mutiu
    1st email: hello i found your dog on a roadside and i have been looking for the owner of the dog if you are the owner kindly mail back to me and give me details about the dog..such as the pictures and where the cat was last seen and the area ...so that i confirm it if it's yours or not...
    Hope to read from you.....
    MY REPLY: I BEGGED HER TO CALL ME
    2nd email i got: thanks for your urgent reply. i found the at Chino Calif exactly.i thanks god ..that i finally found the owner of the dog because i am tired of taking care of the dog and why are you people so careless about your pets..so but for now...i am not in the country for now....but the dog is with my sister ..she is the one take of the dog .....and i have also contact her about it...she was so happy ....so she said she will be willing to ship the dog back to you so what you will have to do now is to send the money for the shipping and the money i have been using to take care of the pet ..and i also wish i get a reward for this if you get your pet back..
    SCAMMER!!!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:25 PM, June 30, 2008  

  • her mail address is mehyour15@yahoo.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:26 PM, June 30, 2008  

  • I got the same email, exact same wording from Thomas Denis, thomas_weels@yahoo.com

    Since the wording is identical, I'm assuming it is a scam

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:03 PM, July 08, 2008  

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