CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — The Humane Society of Catawba County is warning the public about a social media scam circulating on Facebook.
An individual or group is falsely claiming to fundraise for the nonprofit by selling T-shirts, but the money is not reaching the organization.
The scam threatens to divert crucial resources from the shelter, which relies on community support to operate.
The Humane Society of Catawba County typically adopts out 800 dogs and cats each year. The organization expressed disappointment at being targeted by scammers who are exploiting its social media presence.
The fraudulent activity involves taking T-shirt orders directly on the shelter’s Facebook page.
Scott Echelberger, a volunteer at the Humane Society of Catawba County, dedicates four days a week to the shelter. He frequently walks dogs, hoping to help them find new homes.
Echelberger voiced concern that such scams could significantly impact the shelter.
“That kind of scam would take away from the resources that we need for the volunteering and for the dogs themselves and the cats,” Echelberger said.
Chelsea Killian oversees the non-profit’s Facebook page and is actively monitoring the situation.
Killian believes the scammers are using multiple names to post comments on the shelter’s page, falsely claiming the Humane Society is selling T-shirts.
Killian is now blocking those behind the scam and reporting them to Facebook.
She urged the public to be cautious, stating, “If you see anything on our Facebook that pops up saying ordering t-shirts, ordering any kind of merchandise at all…do not do that.”
The Humane Society knows of only one person who has fallen victim to this particular scam so far.
The organization relies on social media to facilitate adoptions and hopes the deceptive activity ceases.
Executive Director Doug Ray condemned the actions of the scammers.
“This is somebody who is actually contacting the humane society who are supporting the shelter and everything we do out here, and here they are just trying to scam money from them, and it’s just horrible,” Ray said.
Similar scams have been reported on the Facebook pages of other Humane Societies recently. Identical schemes have appeared in Indiana and, just yesterday, in Wichita Falls, Texas.
This is not the first scam to target the Humane Society of Catawba County. In February 2025, the shelter issued a warning about a scam targeting individuals with missing pets.
In that scheme, someone would call victims, claim their animal was found, and then ask for money for an emergency surgery.
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