MIAMI – Anita Kadar said she was out of town when her pet sitter allowed Kutya, her Belgian shepherd, out to the fenced backyard of their home.
Kutya, a 7-month-old puppy, vanished on Jan. 2. Kadar filed a police report, searched the sites of shelters, and offered a $2,000 reward.
“I printed out my fliers; I visited all the vet offices,” Kadar said.
Kadar, who served as a police officer in Hungary for about 25 years, said the only responses that she has received have been from scammers.
The lies were different, but these were all meant to persuade her to send cash. One asked for $30 in exchange for a location.
“No one proved it! No one sent me any pictures, nothing,” Kadar said.
A fraudster claimed that for $100 a satellite could pinpoint the location of a missing pet in a couple of hours.
“People want to believe it, want to believe that someone is finally able to help them,” Kadar said.
Another scammer said an Instagram user was selling Kutya. Others sent a text asking for a Google verification code.
Pawboost, a lost pet website, warned desperate people in search of their pets not to respond to incoming texts with a Google verification code.
Some of the fraudsters are impersonating shelters and claiming the pet is at the Humane Society in need of emergency surgery.
This prompted the Humane Society of Broward County and the Humane Society of Miami-Dade County to report that victims were showing up to the shelter after sending cash to a fraudster.
Kadar has been losing hope that she will ever find Kutya, but she does hope she can help others from losing money after they have already lost their pet.
The best way to avoid becoming a victim after releasing your phone number and vulnerability is to avoid sending money to anyone until the pet is in your arms.
