Pet owners in Lane County are being targeting by scammers representing themselves as Lane County Animal Services.
The scammers are contacting pet owners who have shared information about a lost pet online or via neighborhood posters. The scammers contact the pet owners and represent themselves as “Jack Richardson” from Lane County Animal Services. “Jack Richardson” then tells the pet owner that their pet has been found but is injured and requires emergency veterinary care. Pet owners are told they must provide payment via CashApp before their pet can be treated.
This is a scam. Lane County Animal Services would never: 1) demand payment via CashApp or other payment app or via gift cards and money orders, 2) withhold emergency medical care for an animal in its care pending payment from a pet owner, or 3) contact residents via text message without prior arrangement.
“This is an especially disgusting way to take advantage of people,” said Lane County Animal Services Manager Michael Johns. “We hope that any pet owners contacted this way realize it’s a scam before they make any payments. When in doubt, hang up and call us directly at 541-682-3645.”
Similar scams have been reported in states as far away as Georgia.
More details about the scam:
- The name being used is “Jack Richardson” from Lane County Animal Services. No such person exists.
- The number being used by the scammer is 541-623-9114.
- The CashApp account they want payment made to is $LCanimalserv and they provide reference numbers that look like this: LCAS-174752.
Screenshots are attached for reference.
How to make a report:
If contacted, people are encouraged to make a report to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at www.ic3.gov. The FBI maintains the Internet Crime Complaint Center and is the central hub for reporting cyber crime.
If a local report is needed, people can contact their local law enforcement agency using a non-emergency phone number.