ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke Valley SPCA is warning the community of a recent scam of callers posing as third party from the Roanoke Valley SPCA.
They said the scammers are calling people who have lost their pets and asking for a credit card number in order to treat their found pet.
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“They said, we need your credit card in order to treat your pet. So, all of this is false. And essentially this is a scammer trying to get money from victims who have lost their pets,” Julie Rickmond, Marketing and Communications Director for the Roanoke Valley SPCA said.
They said they know of at least two people who have been targeted by this scam on Saturday night.
According to the victims of the scam, they had posted their pets as missing. Then a scammer called the victims using a blocked number, claiming they were with Animal Care and Alliance, alleging to be a third party representative of the RVSPCA.
The scammer told the victim their missing pet had been found, but that they had been hit by a car and have a dislocated shoulder. The scammer asked the victim to verify microchip information and asks for a credit card number and authorization to treat the pet.
“If you see any red flags at all we always ask folks to call us, they can spoof phone numbers so it can make it look like a call is coming from us or from another shelter,” Rickmond said.
One report said the scammed claimed to be a lead veterinarian named William Taylor.
We are told when the victim raised questions to the scammer, they were threatened and told if they didn’t pay, they would lose their dog.
“The Roanoke Valley SPCA does not take in or treat stray animals, including lost pets. The Roanoke Valley SPCA would also NEVER ask for a credit card payment over the phone or hold a pet hostage for payment. We have notified the Roanoke City Police Department, but we want the public to be aware of what is happening immediately,” said CEO, Denise Hayes.
Anyone who has been affected by this scam, is asked to please reach out to the Roanoke City Police Department at: (540) 853-2212.