NAPLES, Fla. — If you lose a pet, be careful who you trust. Scammers are targeting heartbroken pet owners across Collier County, posing as animal shelter workers and demanding money for fake emergencies.
Nick Kaye, a Naples resident and FOX 4 employee, nearly fell victim while searching for his missing cat, Fren.
WATCH as Kaye explains the way the scam call went:
“I got a call saying there had been an accident, that he’d been hit and needed immediate surgery. They said the procedure would take two and a half hours. It was a well-scripted story," Kaye said.
The caller claimed to be with Collier County Domestic Animal Services. They even spoofed the department’s real phone number, making the scam seem legitimate. When Kaye pressed for further details, he says the person on the line became flustered.
“I asked him to name anything else in Collier or Naples... a street, a city, and he couldn’t,” Kaye said.
Kaye drove to the shelter against the scammers instruction, to verify the information. That’s when he learned for sure, it wasn't CCDAS that called him.
“They [people at the front desk in the shelter] asked to see the caller ID, and when I showed them, it was the actual number for Collier County Domestic Animal Services — which was interesting,” he said.
Emily Alice, another Collier County resident, received two suspicious calls about her missing dog... both on Wednesdays, when the shelter is closed to walk-ins.
“The same guy called me a week apart,” Emily said. “It was clever, because I couldn’t even call DAS to confirm anything. The second time, my friend got on the phone and said, ‘This is Deputy —— with the sheriff’s office. Thank you for taking care of Charli… what is your address so Emily can come see her?’
That’s when she says the scammer got flustered and angry. They said something about the cops not needing to be involved, then hung up.
She said she knew it was a scam at this point because she couldn't imagine Collier DAS being rude on the phone.
“Charli was the sweetest little girl and we miss her so much. We believe someone picked her up and played finders keepers," she said.
In a statement to FOX 4, Collier County Domestic Animal Services clarified:
“We will never call and ask for money or discuss injuries over the phone. If we find your pet, we will only notify you and ask you to come to our East Naples shelter in person.
Neither Emily or Nick are alone.
Other pet owners have posted online about similar scams, some saying they lost hundreds of dollars.
“People do prey on your most vulnerable,” Kaye said, “I didn’t think it would be me... but it can happen to anyone."
