RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. — When your dog is missing, and you're desperate for information, make a Facebook post about it, including a picture of your pet and your phone number. You're just hoping someone will have good news for you.
A Randolph County dog owner recently posted about their missing dog and got a text from someone who claimed to have the dog. The person identified themselves as a Randolph County Animal Control Officer.
"The scammer pretended to be an employee here at Animal Services, and for them to get their dog back, they had to click on a link and enter in their pin," said Jonathan Moody, Animal Services Director for Randolph County.
The pretend employee was clever and to make it seem legit, the scammer asked the dog owner to prove they were really the owners of the dog by sending them back a code. Then the scammer asked for money online to pay the reclaim fee. That's not how it works.
"If anyone calls in wanting their animal we encourage them to come to the facility to confirm it is their animal and then we charge the reclaim fee, but it is done in person, we don't do anything online, we don't send you a link, we don't do anything like that," said Moody.
Moody says there have been several complaints made to Animal Services about this same kind of situation, where the scammer identifies themselves as working with the county and wanting an online payment.
"It's concerning, and they are preying on victims where their animal has gone missing anyway they can get money, and that's what they're doing. That is very aggravating," said Moody.