PHOENIX — HALO Animal Rescue is warning pet owners of a scam involving lost pets and emergency surgery.
HALO President and CEO Heather Allen says the organization received three phone calls Monday and a walk-in with people who were being scammed.
They say the pet owners have a lost pet and received a call from someone posing as HALO saying they have their lost pet and it needs emergency surgery.
The scammers reportedly tell the owners they need to pay thousands of dollars for surgery for their pets.
“The person who came in this morning was absolutely sobbing, saying, ‘I heard you have my cat, can I please see my cat? I hear he’s hurt.’ It’s absolutely a devastating situation and to have to tell them your cat’s not here,” Allen said. “Our heart goes out to everybody who’s lost a pet because we know how important they are.”
HALO is warning the public not to give any money in those phone situations and to hang up and call the actual organization again to verify.
