MINNEAPOLIS — Animal control officials in Minneapolis are warning residents about a scam targeting owners of lost pets, manipulating the emotions of heartbroken victims to steal thousands.
Minneapolis Animal Care & Control (MACC) says it has received at least 30 reports from owners who lost their pets and have put up posters or left posts on sites dedicated to missing animals. Scammers use the owners' contact numbers to call or text - posing as an animal control officer - and saying the pet has been found, but needs emergency/life-saving surgery. The caller provides a link to wire money, which multiple pet owners have done.
Marla Khan-Schwartz of Minneapolis is one of them. She received a call last month after a year-long search for Otis, her family’s missing cat. The caller said Otis had been found but was in desperate need of an operation and used specific legitimate-sounding medical terms. That caller - who turned out to be a scammer - asked for half of a specific medical bill, which was quoted at $3,201.96. Khan-Schwartz 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.”
MACC Director Tony Schendel says the organization never asks for money over the phone or provides money transfer links in a lost pet situation. When MACC identifies the owners of lost pets in its care, that person must visit the shelter in person and provide proof of ownership.
“This scam angers us,” Schendel said in a released statement. “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.”
“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,” added 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.”
MACC believes that the scammers have a level of sophistication, even spoofing the city's phone numbers at times during the calls and texts.
If you have been targeted by this scam, or know someone who has, call Minneapolis Animal Care and Control at 612-673-6222 and talk with a MACC staff member.
