BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A new type of scam has seen an uptick in Buncombe County over the last year that involves people posing as law enforcement officers.
Sgt. Michael Thueme said the Buncombe County Sheriff's office has always taken scam reports, but this is a serious scam — one that he said people need to know about.
“It's very, very serious as far as we're concerned because it involved people posing as law enforcement officers,” Thueme said.
These scammers pose as law enforcement officers and prey on those who have lost their pets, asking them for a fee for a life-saving surgery or to reclaim their pet.
SCAMMERS ARE TARGETING OWNERS OF LOST PETS, LOCAL ANIMAL RESCUES SAY
Other types of scams where people pose as law enforcement officers include telling people that they have missed court or jury duty.
“We've seen people lose a couple hundred dollars up to almost 20,000 dollars,” he said.
There is not just one population of people being targeted, Thueme said — it is anyone who will answer the phone.
“Anyone that they can make believe that they're truly a law enforcement officer and that this person has a right to this money,” Thueme said.
Mabel Lujan, with the Asheville Humane Society, said that they have received a lot of calls from people who said that they have been contacted by a person claiming to be a law enforcement officer and that they have their pet.
Lujan said that it is sad because people come up to the shelter assuming that their pet is there.
“We can reunify families with their pets really easily, but we can't do that if we don't actually have their pet, and so that creates a really awful sense of false hope,” Lujan said.
HEAT SAFETY FOR PETS: THE DANGERS OF LEAVING YOUR DOG IN THE CAR ON A HOT DAY
She said that many of these scammers are using Facebook and other social media groups to scope out people who have missing pets.
“They're posing to try and get a monetary benefit from saying that they have their pet,” she added.
There are a few ways to know if a call is a scam. Lujan said that they have an entire webpage on their website for lost and found animals, so whenever there is an animal recently found, it will be posted there.
The most important red flag to recognize is that animal control, humane societies and animal shelters will never ask for a transfer of money over the phone.
“We don't accept payment over the phone. We do not accept cryptocurrency, Bitcoin or gift cards,” Thueme said. “If someone claiming to be law enforcement tells you to go to a store and purchase a gift card or to get checks to transfer those funds over to Bitcoin, that is not one of us.”
Thueme added that if they ever need you to pay something, deputies will come in person, never over the phone.
“You will have a lot of notices from the courts way beyond us coming to visit you,” he said.
Thueme said the reason scammers are successful is because they speak with a sense of urgency. Typically, it is nearly impossible to get money back from them after they have scammed you.
“They're creating an emergency making you feel like if you don't act now, something very bad is going to happen to your pet — something very bad is going to happen to you,” he said.
Lujan added that it is easier for people to be vulnerable in situations where all they want is to bring their pet home.
“They love them and it's unfortunate that these people are taking advantage of that,” she said.
If you are targeted by a scammer and asked to make a payment over the phone, hang up immediately and report the incident to the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office.
