Scammers take advantage of local missing pet owners

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Sedgwick County Animal Control is urging people with missing pets to come forward if they’ve been affected by a recent scam.

A man is calling people who post about missing pets online, according to officials with animal control. He poses as an animal control officer and tells owners their pets are injured. He then says they owe money to cover medical bills.

The scam likely began in June, when owners started showing up to animal control asking to pick up their missing pets, according to county officials.

“After the second or third person, we started connecting the dots that this wasn’t just a one-off, weird cruel joke,” said Nika Orebaugh, Sedgwick County Animal Control Supervisor.

By the time people get to animal control, they’ve often already paid money to the scammer to get their pets back. The reality is that their pets are still missing.

“It just is such an awful thing to do to somebody,” Orebaugh said. “To give them that kind of hope and then take it away.”

It’s important to report scams to the Wichita Police Department or Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, according to Orebaugh.

“Some people are embarrassed or ashamed if they’ve given him money, but really the only way we’re gonna catch this individual is if people come forward,” Orebaugh said.

Animal control will never request money over the phone, according to Orebaugh. They also do not keep missing pets at their facility.

If you feel like you could be getting scammed, Orebaug recommends hanging up the phone and then calling animal control back at one of the numbers listed here.