How can I tell if someone really has my pet?

Ask for a new photo taken now, for example with today's date written on paper next to your pet, and ask about a detail you left out of your posts. A real finder can do both. Excuses, pressure and a request for money first are the signs of a scam.

Someone says they found my pet and wants me to read back a code to prove I am the owner. Is that safe?

No. The Federal Trade Commission warns that this is a known scam used to set up a phone account linked to your number. Do not share any verification code with someone who contacted you first.

Should I pay a reward before I get my pet back?

No. Do not send money, gift cards, payment app transfers or cryptocurrency before your pet is physically with you. If you want to thank a finder, do it in person once your pet is safely back.

A shelter or vet called to say my pet is injured and I need to pay by phone. What should I do?

Hang up and call the shelter or clinic yourself, using a number you look up independently. Shelters and police have said publicly that they do not demand payment over the phone to return a pet, and caller ID can be faked.

Where do I report a lost pet scam?

In the United States, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the BBB Scam Tracker. If you lost money, also contact your bank or the payment company right away and file a report with local police or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Lost pet scams and how to spot them

Lost pet scammers find owners through public posts and flyers, claim to have the pet, and ask for money or a text message code before returning it. A real finder can send a new photo, describe a detail you did not publish, and meet you in person without being paid first. Never send money in advance and never share a verification code.

Why lost pet posts attract scammers

When your pet is missing you do the sensible thing: you tell everyone, and you make it easy to reach you. Scammers read the same posts. The Better Business Bureau’s alert describes the pattern: you post publicly with your phone number and your pet’s details, and a few days later a stranger texts to say they have found your pet.

You are also tired, frightened and hoping for exactly the message they send. That is not a weakness. It is the situation they are counting on, and knowing the patterns in advance is the best protection.

Most people who contact you will be kind and genuine. The checks below take a minute and will not offend a real finder.

The common scams

Pay first, then you get your pet

Someone texts or calls to say they have your pet. When you ask for a photo, there is an excuse: they are out of town, or their phone camera does not work. Then comes pressure to send money or a gift card before the pet is returned.

The Better Business Bureau is direct about how this ends: the caller does not have your pet, and disappears once paid.

The verification code

The message says they found your pet but want to be sure you are the real owner, or that your post is not fake. They ask you to read back a six-digit code that is about to arrive by text.

The Federal Trade Commission has warned about this specifically for lost pet posts. The code is a Google Voice verification code. With it, the scammer creates a phone number linked to yours and uses it to hide their identity in other scams. With more of your details they may try to get into your accounts.

No genuine finder needs a code from your phone.

Edited and AI-generated photos

A photo used to be good proof. It is weaker now. Animal shelters and police have reported scammers taking pictures from an owner’s own lost pet post and editing them, or generating new ones, to show the pet in a different place or apparently injured. In one reported case in 2026, a caller posing as a police officer sent a convincing fake photo and collected money for a vet bill.

A photo you already published proves nothing. Ask for one that could not have been made in advance.

Fake shelter, vet or police calls

The caller says they are from an animal hospital, a shelter or the police. Your pet has been found, often hurt, and treatment or release needs payment by phone right now. The number on your screen may even look right, because caller ID can be faked.

Shelters and police departments have said publicly that they do not ask for payment over the phone to return a pet. Hang up, look up the organization’s number yourself, and call it.

Paid search services that contact you first

A stranger messages to offer drones, tracking dogs or search teams for a fee paid up front through a payment app. The Better Business Bureau has added this to its lost pet scam alert. Legitimate lost pet recovery services exist, but check any company independently before you pay, and be wary of one that found you.

Red flags at a glance

What they say or do	What it usually means
Cannot send a new photo, or only sends your own photo back	They do not have your pet
Asks for a code sent to your phone	They want to set up a phone account using your number
Wants payment before you see your pet	Advance-fee scam
Insists on gift cards, wire transfer, crypto or a payment app	Payment that is hard to trace or reverse
Pushes you to act within minutes	Pressure to stop you checking
Will not meet, or keeps changing the place	There is no pet to hand over

How to check a real finder

Ask for a fresh photo. For example, your pet next to a piece of paper with today’s date, or next to a specific household object.
Ask about the detail you held back. If your posts did not mention the white patch on the back left paw, a real finder can tell you about it.
Ask for a number where you can call them back. Scammers often use spoofed numbers.
Meet in a public place in daylight, and bring someone with you.
Pay nothing until your pet is with you. A thank-you is your choice and can wait until then.

Make yourself a smaller target

You do not have to choose between getting the word out and staying private.

Leave the reward amount off everything public. A stated amount gives a scammer a figure to ask for.
Keep your phone number and email out of public posts where you can. A page for your pet that lets finders message you through a relay does this for you. You can start a page for a missing pet and share that link instead of your number.
Give a general area, not your address.
Hold back one identifying detail in every post and flyer.

The guide to making a lost pet flyer covers what to print and what to leave off.

If you have been targeted

Stop replying. You do not owe an explanation.
If you shared a verification code, follow Google’s steps to reclaim your number, which the FTC links from its alert, and consider changing the passwords on your main accounts.
If you paid by gift card, contact the card company immediately with the card and receipt and ask for the money back. If you paid by bank, card or app, call the provider and report fraud.
Report it. In the United States, use ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the BBB Scam Tracker. Reports help warn the next person.
Warn your local lost pet groups. Other owners in the same groups may be getting the same message.

Being targeted does not mean you did something wrong, and it does not change the chances of finding your pet. Keep searching. The guides for a missing cat and a missing dog cover what to do next.