Lost Dog Owners Exposed to New Scam Online

Houston, Tx - The Internet lost and found dog web site FidoFinder.com reported today that some of its web site users have been exposed to a new twist on an old scam. It has been reported in recent years that people have preyed on owners of lost dogs by using information from lost dog posters to demand reward money for the return of their dog. Unsuspecting lost dog owners have been coerced into wiring cash to individuals who promise to return their dog by flying them back home in a pet carrier only to never receive their pet or hear back from the caller. Now this scam has spread to the Internet.

Denise Roussy, a FidoFinder.com user, was contacted by an individual who said he found her lost dog. The individual demanded a $1,000 reward for the return of her dog, Denise was publicly offering a $250 reward. Denise was smart to inquire about the characteristics the found dog, where he was found, and how the finder got her number and she was able to outsmart the crook. "I asked him a number of questions, some of which he could get from the information on the posting (on Fido Finder) and the picture. The other information was what helped me ascertain that it was a scam and he did not have Bailey at all.", says Roussy. The scammer claimed that Roussy's dog was found with a Fido Finder identification dog tag on his collar, a specialized tag that the web site sells to help return lost dogs, and that this tag was how the individual knew to go to FidoFinder.com to contact the owner. But Roussy's dog did not actualy have a Fido Finder identification dog tag on his collar when it went missing. The caller was exposed as a scam artist.

Fido Finder has released a notice on its web site about the newly formed scam to prevent anyone from being tricked into wiring money. Wes Cutshall, the founder of Fido Finder, urges all dog owners to be cautious of this scam as people can be vulnerable if they have a missing pet and are emotional about their loss. Internet users must be careful as old scams evolve to the digital age.