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Lost-Pet Scams Target Panicked Animal Lovers
Sophisticated criminals are using AI and social media to take advantage of distraught pet parents. Here’s how to avoid scams and get your animal home safely
Adam Sneed
Key takeaways
- Scammers used an AI-generated image and a fake vet story to seek a $2,746 payment from a pet owner.
- Lost-pet scams now leverage social media to target distressed owners with urgent, highly detailed claims.
- Red flags include up-front payment requests, off-platform contact, urgency and refusal to show proof.
When their beloved beagle mix, Archer, went missing near their Deltona, Florida, home in March 2026, Bill Cosens and his wife, Allison, did what every desperate pet parent does: They spent hours searching their neighborhood, then posted a plea for help on social media.
The next day, someone called from a veterinarian’s office claiming to have Archer. They said that the dog had been hit by a car and was badly injured, requiring emergency surgery that would cost $2,746. The Cosens were ready to authorize the surgery but requested a photo to make sure the dog was really theirs.
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“In about 30 seconds, we have a picture, and at first glance, it’s Archer,” Bill, 54, recounted on a recent episode of AARP’s The Perfect Scam podcast. “He's lying on an operating table. There’s two vets standing over him in surgical masks, ready to operate.… There’s tubes coming out of his mouth. He’s knocked out. You see an open wound on his front right shoulder.”
They were about to pay the surgery bill when they decided to pause. They ended the call and began investigating. They googled the vet’s office and discovered it didn’t exist. And when they shared photos of Archer on the operating table (the scammers had sent multiple pictures) with their two adult children, they discovered something else: The image, their kids told them, was likely generated by artificial intelligence. They noticed inconsistencies when comparing the photos and the wrong date on the dog's X-rays.
“It never occurred to me that somebody would prey upon a person who’s already distraught that they had an animal missing … [and] then make up a story about them being injured and try to scam them out of money,” Bill said.
But that’s exactly what happened. Archer’s story has a happy ending: A neighbor who had taken the pup returned him (they're still not sure why the neighbor took the dog home). But not every lost pet scam does.
How lost-pet scams work
What Bill and Allison experienced is the latest take on a classic scam, says Amber Batteiger, a veterinary technician specializing in animal welfare and disaster response.
Batteiger, who also serves as PR and communications manager at Embrace Pet Insurance, says the scam has evolved: “In the past, the most common version was a person calling and falsely claiming they had found the pet, then demanding money before returning it.”
Now, she notes, scammers are able to make their schemes more sophisticated, thanks in part to social media, which “gives them easy access to desperate pet owners in real time. They monitor lost-pet Facebook groups, neighborhood pages, Nextdoor posts and community forums looking for people who have publicly shared details about a missing animal.”
The Federal Trade Commission recently posted a consumer alert about these scams.
While some scammers seek money for faux vet bills, others extract it by offering fake services, says pet detective and professional lost-cat finder Kim Freeman, owner of LostCatFinder.com. She’s seen scammers impersonate pet detectives like her, for example, as well as recovery services that use thermal cameras mounted on drones to search for lost animals. In both cases, they collect payment to look for your pet, then disappear with the money.
“I’ve seen everything from fake ‘finder’ scams to people pretending to be shelter employees, animal control officers, veterinarians or rescue workers,” Batteiger continues. “Some ask for money. Others are after personal information, account access or verification codes. The common thread is that they’re exploiting someone’s fear and hope during a crisis.”
How to spot a lost-pet scam
Red flags include:
- Requests for money. “The No. 1 way to sus out a scam initially is if people are asking for money first. They don’t let you see the pet, they don’t let you come get the pet or … they’re trying to get you to pay a vet bill before you’ve even been to the vet’s office,” says jme Thomas, founder and executive director of Motley Zoo Animal Rescue in Redmond, Washington. Especially suspicious are requests for payment via nontraditional channels like Venmo, Cash App, Bitcoin, gift cards or wire transfers, all of which are difficult to trace and reverse, Freeman points out.
- Off-platform conversations. For the same reason they like nontraditional payment methods, scammers like nontraditional communication channels — for example, anonymized and encrypted instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram — says Aaron Klein, chief product officer for the nonprofit Petco Love, which offers a pet-finder search engine, Petco Love Lost. He adds that criminals often make initial contact on public platforms like Facebook or Nextdoor, then move conversations to private apps.
- A false sense of urgency. Scammers exploit emotions by creating circumstances that get you to think with your heart instead of your head. “If someone is saying, ‘We’re at the vet because your pet has broken its back, and it’s going to be euthanized if you don’t pay us right away,’ that’s a red flag,” Freeman says. Thomas agrees: “They’re going to try to keep your emotions high.”
- Lack of proof. Yet another telltale warning sign is refusing to provide evidence of possession, says Batteiger. Scammers may try to convince you that they have your pet by repeating details from your lost-pet post or by mining your social media accounts for pet-related posts and photos. “If someone truly has your pet, they should be able to send a current photo, provide details that weren’t publicly shared or answer basic questions about the animal,” she notes.
Tips to help you look for lost pets safely
Scammers aren’t finding pets; they’re looking for owners. “When someone posts that their dog or cat is missing, they often include photos, their phone number, where the pet was last seen, the pet’s name and details about how worried they are. To a scammer, that’s valuable information because it tells them exactly who to target and gives them details they can use to sound credible,” Batteiger says.
That doesn’t mean you should avoid searching for lost pets. Rather, it means you should be extra cautious when you do. Search with the following tips in mind:
- Prioritize prevention. Having appropriate containment for outdoor pets, like a cattery for cats and a secure, fenced yard for dogs, is a good start, says Judah Battista, cofounder and chief sanctuary officer at Best Friends Animal Society, the nation’s largest no-kill shelter for companion animals. Walking with a leash is also important, insists Thomas, who says a loud noise or tempting squirrel can cause even the best-trained animals to run.
- Get your pet microchipped. Microchipping is a painless and permanent way to ID your animal and helps veterinarians, shelters and others contact you if your pet gets lost, Battista says. Make sure your pet’s microchip is registered and updated with your current contact information, stresses Battista, who says GPS collars or Apple AirTags also can be helpful.
- Crowdsource with caution. Most lost pets are found within a mile of their home, notes Battista, who says local forums are typically the safest and most effective online resources — although you still need to be cautious. If your neighborhood or homeowner’s association has a private Facebook group, for instance, that can be a good place to start. You can also try Nextdoor, Neighbors by Ring and Petco Love Lost, Battista says. The latter is free and uses patented photo-matching technology to search nationwide lost-pet databases for your pet.
- Protect your personal information. Think twice about sharing your phone number or email address online, says Klein, who recommends keeping conversations contained on platforms like Petco Love Lost, Nextdoor, Facebook, etc. Also, keep your social media accounts private.
- Be careful when choosing photos of your pet to share publicly. Although photos are important, don’t share too many, cautions Klein, who says scammers can use AI to create new photos of your pet to convince you that they have it. To mitigate that risk, you might share a photo of your pet from the front, then ask responders for a photo from the back so you can verify its tail. Or ask for photos of distinctive markings that aren’t visible in the pictures you shared.
- Ask for evidence. Because AI has made it easy to fabricate photos, Freeman suggests requesting a live video call or an in-person meeting at a safe, neutral location, such as an animal shelter or a police station.
- Investigate locally. Although social media can help you spread information quickly, it’s no substitute for boots on the ground, says Batteiger, who recommends reaching out directly to local shelters, veterinary clinics and animal control agencies. Because they may be understaffed and overworked, you may need to persist with multiple phone calls to find out if they’ve received your pet.
- Hire proven professionals. If all else fails, there are legitimate pet detectives and pet finders who may be able to help. The Missing Animal Response Network (MARN) has a directory of trusted and trained professionals, says Freeman, who recommends reading reviews and choosing someone with a proven track record. A reputable professional won’t guarantee results, pressure you into an immediate payment or avoid questions about their process, Batteiger notes.
How to report scams
It’s important to report pet scams to local law enforcement. This helps the police identify patterns and warn other pet owners about current schemes.
Report online scams to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
Call the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with trained specialists who can offer support and guidance.
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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