One of my friends here in Auburn has lost her cat this week--rather, maintenance came into her apartment for some work and let her cat get out. This is a very mild-mannered, easy-going kind of cat. There's no reason they would have "needed" to let her out...it's not like she would have been attacking them. Anyway, a bunch of us are upset about this, and we're trying very hard to help her get her little kitty back home. Fortunately, my sister lives in the same apartment complex and is on board for keeping her eyes peeled. They live right off a lake, so if the cat is still near home, she's likely playing with bugs and turtles and the apartment ducks. This is what I hope, anyway.
Anyway, while poking around online to come up with some other solutions for finding the cat (like contacting the humane society here, for instance), I came upon the website Pets911.com--if you're not familiar with it, it's a lost and found site for pets. I was poking around the website, and saw the link "Beware: Lost Pet Scams." Not being that familiar with such a scam, I clicked the link. And what I read there was saddening and disheartening. I mean, I've known for a long time that some horrible people will do anything to take advantage of another person's vulnerability. But to take advantage of a person through their lost pet? That's disgraceful. Here's part of the article (the example scams) from the website:
Known Lost Pet Scams
Please be aware that there are many versions of SPAM circulating the internet. These are just a couple of examples.
1. HELLO,
MY NAME IS PASTOR (MRS) JANET MARK. I AM AN ANIMAL VET AND ALSO ONE OF THE PASTORS OF THE CHRIST EMBASSY CHURCH. FEW DAYS AGO I SAW YOUR MISSING PET ROAMING ABOUT THE STREET AND I HAD TO RESCUE IT FOR KEEPS UNTIL I FINALLY FIND THE RIGHTFUL OWNER SO THAT I GET GIVE IT BACK TO HIM OR HER, BUT RIGHT NOW I AM ON EVANGELISM WORK FOR SOUL REDEMPTION IN BENIN REPUBLIC IN WEST AFRICA, SO BECAUSE I DONT WANT YOUR PET TO BE ALONE AT HOME IN STATE I HAD TO TRAVEL DOWN HERE WITH IT. RIGHT NOW SINCE I FOUND YOU (THE OWNER), I AM HONESTLY WILLING TO RETURN BACK YOUR PET TO YOU, BUT YOU HAVE TO PROOF SOME REAL FACTS THAT YOU ARE THE REAL OWNER OF THE PET BY SENDING ANY RECENT PICTURE(S) OF THIS LOVING AND CUTE PET AND YOU MUST ALSO BE ABLE TO TELL ME HIS OR HER NAME AND THE EXACT DAY AND TIME THAT YOUR PET HAD BEEN MISSING. PLEASE YOU MUST ALSO BEAR IN MIND THAT WHEN YOU SATIFY THAT YOU ARE THE REL OWNER OF THSIS BEAUTIFUL PET, ALL SHIPPING AND ANY OTHER TRAVELLING EXPENSES WILL BE INCURED BY YOU.
ONE MORE THING, ARE YOU BORN AGAIN, CO WE ARE IN THE END TIME AND YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN TO BE ABLE TO MAKE HEAVEN. GOD BLESS YOU AS I HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.
PASTOR JANET
pastor.janetmark1@live.com
2. From: mike_found.pet202@yahoo.com
Subject: I have your dog with me….
To:
I won’t lie to you i stole this dog….and the reason why i stole is that ..i need help my mum is in Nigeria dieing of cancer ..and i decided to steal it and i know i will found the owner contact info ..so before i release it ..you are going to pay sum of $600…i swear this dogt is with me
If you want have him back today….you will have to send the money to the doctor in Nigeria and you will have to go and send the money through via western union money transfer to this name and address below:
Name: Abiodun Sulaimon Olayemi
Address: 10,Aganran Street Mushin, Lagos Nigeria 23401
And get back to me with the info given to you ..as soon as i confirmed that you have sent out the money ..i will tell you were to go and pick up the dog so get back to me with your phone number ..and when you get to western union ..don’t tell i have your dog with me..so that they can allow you to send the money..tell them you are sending the money to your cousin in Nigeria..okay..and i am not going to hurt your dog..till you get back..from the bank.
3. Hello
I am DONALD RAY am from United States.. But right now am in uk. i Found your dog some Weeks back and i have Tried Tracing the owner but i could not. so i took the dog with me down here to UK for our christian Missioanry assignment because i had no one to Take Care of him. I am an animal dentist,if you need your dog back just send me an email and we shall know how to send your dog to you back I want you to send me Pictures of The Pet to know its actually yours and the location which was lost i need all These to be sure am not sending the puppy to the wrong person,but be advised that you will be incharged for the shiping Fee and other expenses. email me at…… donald_ray2@yahoo.com
THANKS.
DONALD RAY.
Reporting SPAM
1. Yahoo! US contact information is:
Yahoo! Inc.
Phone: (408)- 349-3300
1-800-318-0631
(408)-349-1572
Office Hours 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST
http://info.yahoo. com
2. http://spamlinks.net/track-report-addresses.htm#fraud-419.
3. Federal Trade Department at SPAM@UCE.GOV
3 comments:
The FBI keeps track of all of these scams.
There is also another sad thing going on. People will find or adopt pit bulls from private owners and turn them into Animal Control the same day claiming the dog is aggressive and bit three or four people. This guarantees that the dog will be put to sleep even though the dog was NEVER aggressive. They are people supporting Breed Banning Legislation.
That's terrible.
I hope y'all find the cat. Ollie got lost one time. It was only for a little while, but it was so scary. We searched the neighborhood and I can picture vividly when we found him. He had on his Christmas sweater and he smiled so big and came running toward us. I couldn't imagine losing a pet for an extended amount of time.
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