Pittsburgh Public Safety warning public over lost animal scam
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh Public Safety is warning residents of the city of a new scam that involves lost pets.
According to the agency, someone is impersonating a Pittsburgh Animal Care and Control employee both online and over the phone.
The scammer is calling various city residents and claiming to have the person's lost dog or cat and then saying they require payment over the phone to return the pet.
The claim is that the lost pet requires a fee as well as a cost for "emergency surgery" to save an injured pet.
Public safety believes this scammer is checking various websites and community pages, including Facebook and Nextdoor. In some instances, the scammer leaves a name and phone number asking for a callback in order to "help" these people get their pets back.
Pittsburgh's Animal Care and Control is reminding residents that they will never call and demand money for any reason.
They're asking anyone who may get a call from this person to call police and report it to their local zone.