EVERETT, Wash. — Scared, stray animals end up at the Everett Animal Shelter every single day. Now scammers are exploiting that desperation.
"It's really sad," said animal services Director Glynis Frederiksen. "These people are desperately trying to find their lost pets."
They're trolling "lost pet" social media sites, then contacting owners posing as the Everett Animal Shelter. The callback number shows up as the shelter.
The scammers even go as far as to use the name of an actual Everett Animal Control officer.
"The owners think that we have the animal. Now they're excited. They come down thinking that we have it and they find out that, not only do we not have it, but they've been scammed by somebody," said Frederiksen.
The caller tells the owner they need to pay a fee before picking the pet up. The imposter gets their credit card information, and the scam is complete.
There have been at least six incidents over the past two weeks in Everett.
"People are probably a bit more vulnerable at that point because they're hoping the news is true and they're gonna be able to come down and take their pet home and when they can't it's just devastating," said Frederiksen.
The majority of animals at the Everett shelter are strays. Shelter workers say there is often a charge to reclaim your pet, but they won't make you pay in advance and they won't do it over the phone.
If you do get a call, look up the shelter's number and phone it back to confirm the call is legitimate.
"It's really, really mean," said Frederiksen. "It's kicking someone when they're down and trying to take advantage of a sad situation to begin with."
Police are currently investigating the scam.