Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued a consumer alert on Friday warning residents of a scam targeting individuals searching for lost pets.
Scammers are posing as employees of legitimate animal shelters, including the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), the Maryland SPCA, and Talbot Humane. They contact pet owners who have posted lost pet notices online, using caller ID spoofing to make the call appear credible.
Victims are told their missing pet has been found and is injured, and they are pressured to send money through apps such as Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, or PayPal for urgent medical care. In one case, a pet owner lost $2,600 before realizing the call was fraudulent. Others avoided being scammed after questioning the caller and not receiving proof, such as a microchip number or photos of the pet.
Shelters like BARCS have confirmed they do not request payments over the phone or through money transfer apps. BARCS urges individuals to report suspicious calls to info@BARCS.org.
The Attorney General’s Office offers the following recommendations:
- Do not send money via transfer apps to unknown callers.
- Verify the caller by asking for specific, pet-related details.
- Contact shelters directly using official contact information.
- Report scams to the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 410-528-8662 or the FTC at www.ftc.gov.
Consumers can sign up to receive alerts at public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDAG/subscriber/new.
