Scammers posing as SPCA and animal welfare staff

Are you the parent of a fur baby? Then you know how tough it is when your cat, dog, or other adorable pet is sick, in pain, or injured. You’d do anything for them. Scammers are using that feeling to steal your hard-earned money.

Here’s how the scam works. You get a call or text from someone who says they’re a staff member at the local SPCA or another animal shelter. They tell you that your pet was hit by a car, and you need to pay $500 right away to save them. Conveniently, they tell you exactly how to pay.

If you’re at home with your pet, you’ll know right away that it’s a scam. If you aren’t at home and you’re worried, here are some steps to help stop the scammers in their tracks.

• Call the shelter yourself. Look up the phone number of the shelter the person says they’re calling from. Call them yourself to see if Boots, Rascal, or Thor is there.
• Listen to how they tell you to pay. Scammers will insist you can only pay with cash, a gift card, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or a payment app. Those are ways that get scammers the money quickly…and make it hard for you to get it back.
• Report the scam. If you encounter this, a different version of a pet scam (like fake pet ads), or any other kind of scam, fraud, or bad practice, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

And if you wound up sending money to a scammer, here’s what to do next.