E-Mail Scam Targets Families Missing Pets

An exclusive Target 7 Consumer Investigation uncovers an e-mail scam targeting pet owners who have lost their pet.

Caitlin Lease said, "I just miss him and I hope somebody finds him. If you have him, just turn him in, because I miss him so much." Lease and her mother Victoria have been missing their dog River for five weeks now. "This is his yard," Victoria Lease said. "This is the where he played and this is the infamous gate, if this is how he got out."

The miniature Australian Shepherd was a huge part of the Lease family. Then one day Victoria returned home to find River missing. "Did somebody take him? Did he run off? Did he go looking for me?" Lease said. "All the what ifs."

Victoria turned to the internet to try to get those questions answered. She posted an ad on the community Web site Craigslist and quickly got a reply from someone claiming to be a veterinarian who found and sold River. The more she read, the more frustration she felt. In order to get her dog back, the e-mail instructed her to cash a certified check and send the money back.

"When you're that desperate to get your dog back, then you'll try anything and it just disgusts me it's so sad," Lease said.

Dr. Faith Flower, an Albuquerque veterinarian, said, "I do not believe it was sent by a veterinarian. It's a scam and I really think it's an unconscionable thing because people are attached to their animals and they treasure them and to prey on someone who has lost their pet is very unacceptable."

The Attorney General's office said this e-mail is just another of the many phishing scams out there to get your personal information. This one happens to focus on pet owners like Victoria Lease who simply want their pets back home. The Leases did the smart thing -- they didn't reply. Instead, they contacted Target 7.

If you feel you're a victim of identity theft, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office has an identity theft repair kit. It takes you step by step on what to do to protect yourself if you feel your identity's been stolen. On the Web: N.M. Attorney General Identity Theft Repair Kit

[Soure: KOAT.com]