BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — When a pet goes missing, the desperation to find them can make owners vulnerable. Scammers know that — and they're taking advantage of it.
After my cat, Koda, went missing, I posted a flyer to several lost and found pet pages on Facebook. Shortly after, I began receiving texts from people claiming to have found him. All of them turned out to be scammers.
I made another post asking if this had happened to anyone else — and I wasn't alone.
Mitchell Lopez said his 10-month-old French Bulldog, Apollo, went missing and he posted a flyer on lost and found pet pages. He soon received a text.
"Saying that they have my dog but they wanted me to be upfront about everything, and I'm like, 'upfront about what?' I lost my dog," Lopez said.
By the time he received the text, Lopez said his neighbors had already found and returned Apollo. He quickly realized it was a scam — the text came from an out-of-state number, and the sender was asking for a reward upfront.
"I was all over it. I was… it's like my kid, you know? I was about to do anything and everything," Lopez said.
Nick Cullen, director of Kern County Animal Services, said the warning signs are clear.
"First red flag is when somebody is asking for something in return to return your animal to you. Money, gift card, any kind of compensation to return your animal to you," Cullen said.
Cullen recommends having your pet microchipped and wearing a name tag with your contact information in case they go missing. He also says visiting shelters should be the first step — and not just the closest one.
"Don't just check the shelter that's down a block from your house, check the one across town, check the one in outlying cities. You just don't know who drove through and found your animal and might have taken it to an animal shelter," Cullen said.
The Better Business Bureau says scammers often ask for payment through gift cards or other hard-to-trace methods. They recommend asking for a photo of your pet or requesting to meet in a public place.
Corey Snyder, an accredited business experience liaison with the BBB, said taking precautions is always the right move.
"'Hey, can you just meet me at this police station instead,' or whatever it is. Better safe than sorry, taking those precautions and those steps," Snyder said.
Snyder also warns pet owners to be careful about where they post their contact information online, because scammers specifically target people who are desperate to find their animals.
Lopez said the experience left him with a simple piece of advice for other pet owners.
"Like they say, if it sounds too good to be true, I'm pretty sure it's too good to be true," Lopez said.
If you believe you've been targeted by a scam, the BBB encourages you to report it through their Scam Tracker tool so others can avoid falling victim.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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