Animal lovers and pet owners are being targeted in high-tech scam

If you’re the kind of person who can’t scroll past a lost pet post without hoping it ends with a happy reunion, scammers know exactly how to use that against you.

Federal consumer officials are warning about new scams that are targeting animal lovers, whether you’re trying to adopt a pet, donate to help one, or desperately searching for one that has gone missing. And thanks to artificial intelligence, the scams are getting harder to spot, according to NJ.com.

.There must be a special place in Hell for bastards who do this.

a woman sitting on the ground with a dog

One of the cruelest schemes happening targets people whose pets have gone missing.

Someone claiming to have found your dog or cat contacts you and says they’ll return it but only after you send money for transportation, veterinary care, or some other made-up expense.

What's really sick? They'll often pretend to be law enforcement or work at an animal hospital to appear more legitimate.

They ask for payment for emergency medical services in the form of cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, payment app, or gift cards.

The FTC says if these are the only forms of payment accepted, then it's a scam. Once you pay, they disappear. Your pet was never actually found.

a person holding a cell phone

Another scam involves a victim being asked to donate to an animal shelter or hospital. They will pose as legitimate facilities and use AI to make themselves appear credible.

Perhaps the most cliched scam of these new ones is a con artist pretending you've won a sweepstakes by donating to some animal cause in the past. I'm sure they'll keep it vague enough to convince you it could have been something you once donated to over a year ago and forgot all about.

Then they tell you you need to pay a fee upfront to collect your prize. It's the old sweepstakes scam with the new animal lover twist.

Man is on the phone in front of computer.

To state what should be obvious, the FTC wants you to know that anytime you're told you've won a sweepstakes and you need to pay a fee to collect, you can be certain it's not real.

The best defense is to slow down. Verify rescue organizations before donating. Never pay someone who claims to have found your missing pet without independently confirming they actually have the animal.

Scammers count on us acting with our hearts instead of our heads. Loving animals is a wonderful thing. Just don’t let someone use that compassion against you.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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