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Maryland Attorney General warns of pet scam targeting distressed owners


FILE -{ }Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
FILE -Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
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Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown issued a consumer alert Friday warning residents about a disturbing scam preying on pet owners desperate to reunite with their lost animals.

The scam, which has affected residents across the state, involves fraudsters posing as employees from well-known animal shelters, including the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), the Maryland SPCA, and Talbot Humane.

Using sophisticated caller ID spoofing technology, these scammers make it appear as though calls are coming from legitimate shelters.

According to reports, scammers contact individuals who have posted lost pet notices online, claiming to have found the missing animal. The caller often says the pet is injured and in need of urgent medical attention.

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They then demand immediate payment through money transfer apps such as Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, or PayPal—threatening that the pet won’t receive care unless the funds are sent right away.

In one particularly alarming case, a pet owner was tricked into transferring $2,600 before realizing the call was a hoax. Other potential victims managed to avoid being scammed after requesting verifiable information—such as the pet’s microchip number or photographic proof—that the callers could not provide.

Animal shelters in Maryland have responded by clarifying their protocols. BARCS emphasized that it never solicits payments by phone and encourages anyone who receives such a call to report it to their official email at info@BARCS.org.

Attorney General Brown's office recommends that Marylanders take the following precautions:

  • Do not send money to anyone claiming to represent a shelter unless their identity and the circumstances can be verified.
  • Ask for specific details about your pet that only someone who actually has the animal could know.
  • Contact shelters directly using verified contact information—not numbers provided by a caller.
  • Report suspicious activity to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

To report a scam or learn more about consumer protection resources, residents can contact the Maryland Office of the Attorney General at 410-528-8662 or visit www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov.

Authorities are urging residents to share this alert widely with friends, family, neighborhood groups, and on social media to help prevent more victims from falling prey to this emotionally manipulative scam.





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