Denver dog owner scammed by pet search business

DENVER (KDVR) — A Denver man, already heartbroken over losing his adopted dog, was hurt again when he was the victim of a scam.

Austin Cruz said his world fell apart when his 3-year-old Rottweiler mix was missing for five days.

“A lot of things went through my mind,” he said. “Is my baby girl safe?”

Cruz posted flyers on social media enlisting the help of family and friends, then he saw an ad saying a company could use drones to search for missing pets. He paid the company $155 but then received a call saying a glitch occurred in the payment app so he would receive a refund.

“I asked him can you send me a screenshot of PayPal telling you that a refund is coming and he didn’t send a screenshot and at that point, I kind of knew something was up,” Cruz said.

Cruz never heard back from the man. The FOX31 Problem Solvers also did not find the company registered on the Secretary of State’s business database or the Better Business Bureau website. The company did post a scam warning on its own website.

FOX31 is not providing the business’s name because scammers often hijack the identities of legitimate businesses. The Problem Solvers reached out to the company and only received an automated message but will continue to try to contact the owners of the business.

Colorado’s Attorney General and consumer experts told FOX31 Problem Solves that when it comes to protecting against scams, it’s good practice to look up business registrations on the Secretary of State’s website and Better Business Bureau, in addition to googling the name for any bad reviews and get a least three references. Try not to pay the full amount up front.

The good news for Cruz is that Denver Animal Control found Kaya after a call from a good Samaritan.

“I feel like I can just move forward in my life; I feel like another family member is back,” he said.

Cruz said he wanted to tell his story to prevent other pet owners from losing money and has stern words for anyone committing any type of scam.

“Just get a regular job, just go find a way to get a real good income and stop trying to scam people out of their hard-earned money,” he said.

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