Minneapolis Animal Care & Control (MACC) is warning residents of a scam involving lost pets.

Scammers scour lost pet posters and websites (like PawBoost,for example) and contact pet owners. They call or text, even spoofing the City's phone number at times. Scammers posing as animal control officers lie about finding a pet who needs a bogus emergency surgery. They send a link to wire money, potentially defrauding pet owners of thousands of dollars.

"This scam angers us," said Tony Schendel, director of Animals & Pets. "These scammers are calling people who are in an already vulnerable situation, having lost their pet, and make the experience even worse. We want people to know this is happening so they can report it to us immediately."

MACC says it's received 30 reports of the scam so far, with likely dozens more that have gone unreported. Scammers are using Minneapolis phone numbers and asking for amounts around $1,500, which Schendel says seems like a realistic veterinary care bill for owners. "We believe there's risk for many people to fall for this," he says. "It doesn't seem like an outlandish amount."

A personal story

Marla Khan-Schwartz of Minneapolis received a call last month after a year-long search for her family's missing cat, Otis. The caller said Otis had been found but was in desperate need of an operation and used specific legitimate-sounding medical terms. Then he asked for half of a very specific $3,201.96 medical bill. She became suspicious and later confirmed the call was a scam.

"I felt so embarrassed and emotionally manipulated," she said. "It's an angering experience when people take advantage of that horrible feeling of losing a pet. It's ridiculous and wrong."

Schendel says MACC never sends links or asks for money over the phone in a lost pet situation. When MACC identifies owners of lost pets in its care, they must visit the shelter in person and show proof of ownership.

Awareness is key

"Residents need to be aware of this kind of fraud so they don't lose out on thousands of dollars of hard-earned money in a time of vulnerability," said Margaret Anderson Kelliher, City of Minneapolis Chief Operations Officer. "I applaud our City animal control officers and everyone at MACC who work every day in the best interest of our residents and their beloved pets."

For more information - or if people believe they have received a scam call or text - call 612-673-6222 to talk to a MACC staff member.

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