Johannesburg - Dogtown South Africa has warned pet owners to not fall prey to a new scam which could compromise their safety.
The animal shelter and rescue centre for abandoned and abused dogs said that they have received information about an individual posing as an official from Dogtown, who has been contacting people whose pets have gone missing and telling them that they have been found.
However, the organisation insists that this is just a scam.
“The modus operandi is to tell the person that they have found their pet and that if they send them airtime, they will be able to send them a location pin for them to collect their pet,” Dogtown South Africa founder Tracy McQuarrie explained.
She added that the imposter then requests that the pet owners provide proof of ownership of their animals.
“This includes but is not limited to photographs of them with their pet and ownership papers.”
McQuarrie said that this was concerning as it could potentially have people being lured to a location for criminal purposes.
“Criminals can pick up all sorts of personal information from the background of a photograph,” McQuarrie believes.
“This scam is also not limited to any one area with reports coming from Weltevreden Park, Benoni and Roodepoort.”
Meanwhile, the police are appealing to those who have fallen victim to this crime to report it at their local police station.
They added that pet owners should persist from posting images of the suspects and should rather share their warnings on social media.
McQuarrie added that while this scam puts pet owners under threat, it has also compromised the hard work their dedicated team of behaviourists and caregivers who provide care for dogs who have lost their families or been rescued from dire situations
“There is of course potential reputational damage to Dogtown as they have chosen to use our name for their scam.”
She reminded pet owners that they would never operate in the same manner as the alleged fraudster when it comes to missing pets.
“Dogtown staff would never ask a stranger for airtime or contact someone out of the blue,”McQuarrie said.
“We have processes and procedures that we follow to ensure the safety of the animals and the people associated with Dogtown in any way.”