The Oregon Humane Society (OHS) has issued a statement warning pet owners of a prevalent scam where individuals feign affiliation with the animal welfare organization. These tricksters are contacting guardians of lost pets, alleging the animals are hurt and demanding immediate payment for fictitious medical expenses. In a deliberate act of deception, the scammers mask their phone numbers to appear as those of the OHSs, causing additional confusion and stress for anxious pet owners searching for their missing companions.
As reported by KOIN, the scammers are exploiting the vulnerability of people who have lost their pets by posing as OHS representatives and insisting on immediate payment for services not rendered. The faux calls engage pet owners with urgent pleas for help, claiming their pet is in critical condition and under the care of the OHS. With the Oregon Humane Society's actual number being spoofed, the deceit is not immediately apparent to the pet owners.
Addressing this unsettling trend, Laura Klink of OHS provided some guidance in an interview with KATU, stating: "The biggest takeaway from this is if you get a call from someone saying that they have your lost pet and your lost pet is injured and needs medical care and is demanding payment and saying that they're calling from the Oregon Humane Society, even if the phone number looks like our phone number, you know, kind of it should raise a red flag for you whenever someone is demanding payment." Klink suggests hanging up and calling back the OHS directly to verify the legitimacy of the call.
The extent of this cruel ruse is currently unknown, but as KGW notes, the method by which scammers identify their targets could come from a variety of sources, such as social media posts and flyers seeking missing pets. Klink mentioned that these scams are not limited to Oregon as similar incidents have surfaced at other humane societies, like the one in Pierce County, Tacoma, Washington. She emphasized that even one victimized pet owner is too many and urges anyone who believes they have fallen prey to this scam to contact OHS at 503-285-7722.
