‘Some evil people out there’: Lost dog? Watch out for scam

CHARLOTTE — Bill and Betty Norman say their dog, Sadie, wandered off across Eastway Drive in one of February’s winter storms.

“We just pray… It was icy, it was cold,” Bill told Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke. “We probably put 100 miles or so in the car looking for her.”

They posted Sadie’s picture online. They assume that’s how the scammer knew the dog’s name and to call them.

“The guy said he was calling from the Humane Society [of Charlotte]. He had our dog, Sadie. The bad news was she needed surgery. She got hit by a car,” Bill said.

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They say the caller even sent them a picture of a dog like Sadie already under the knife and that they’d have to pay more than $1,300 or let her die. “He got disconnected. I said, ‘Bill, that was on Eyewitness News,’ Betty said. Not this scam specifically, but similar ones. “I remember I’d seen you do a segment on Eyewitness News about it,” Betty told Stoogenke. “We watch every night.”

So they called the Humane Society directly. “And they said, ‘Oh, no ma’am, that’s a scam. We don’t do surgery here,’” Betty said. The Humane Society spays and neuters, but that’s it, no other procedures. And they’ll never ask for money over the phone. “There’s some evil people out there and they’ll do whatever they can to get your money,” Bill added, choking up.

So they weren’t out money. But they were still missing Sadie. That was until a few weeks later. They say Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control found her off Monroe Road.

The Humane Society and Animal Care and Control have been warning people about this scam: people post online they lost their pet. The scammers use that information, pose as an official organization (even spoof the number), and demand money for emergency surgery. Like many scams, they’re counting on your emotions to blind you.

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