BALTIMORE — It’s the season of giving, but not everyone deserves your donation. Scammers are impersonating reputable charities.
A non-profit organization that helps find missing pets said their logo is being used to steal hundreds of dollars from desperate pet owners.
Denise Harris, co-founder of Lost Animal Resource Group (LARG), sees fraudsters comment on missing pet posts on social media.
“A comment, something like, ‘Text this number. These people helped me find my dog in two days. They were great, don’t delay,’” said Harris.
The texter then pretends to be with a legitimate missing animal organization and asks for a deposit.
“It’ll cost this much, but if you send us a $200 deposit we can get the ball rolling,” Harris said.
But LARG is a non-profit organization. They don’t charge for services or advice, they only accept donations.
“These are people who probably under normal circumstances wouldn’t send random cash to a text number of someone they’ve never heard of, but these are people that are feeling very desperate, so they’re not even thinking clearly,” added Harris.
The Missing Animal Response Network (MARN) has posted names, cash app usernames, and conversations with these scammers on their website.
Whether it’s a fake plea, or an impostor, many people fall for charity scams because they want to help.
“Sometimes they do it with the vet thing, he was hit by a car, I’m trying to collect money to pay for the vet bills and it tugs at people’s heartstrings,”…
