MAYFIELD, KY (Friday, Jan. 26, 2024) – Kentucky State Police (KSP), Post 1 regularly receives calls from the public regarding possible scams. One current scam that KSP Post 1 has received numerous reports on involves missing pets. Scammers often target vulnerable people and a person desperate for the return of their beloved pet becomes a vulnerable person.
Pet owners who have posted their pet missing on social media have reported receiving messages from scammers indicating that the scammer has information on the whereabouts of their pet and they will disclose that information upon payment. KSP encourages the public to never send money in these circumstances.
KSP encourages the public to never send money through electronic means to anyone they do not personally know. KSP also encourages the public to avoid disclosing personal information electronically or over the phone to someone they do not know. If you do not feel confident that a person is who they say they are, do not disclose information to them.
If you receive a call requesting personal information or payment from someone claiming to be from a business, bank, doctor’s office, etc., you can hang up and search the company’s real phone number to call them back and ensure they are who they say they are before disclosing any information. Or, you may elect to go to the business in person to confirm any bills that need to be paid or any need to update your personal information with them.
There are applications that allow a person to mask their phone number so what appears on Caller ID shows up as a legitimate number, even if they are not with the associated business. You cannot always trust that the number showing on Caller ID is actually where they are calling from.
Law enforcement will never advise you that you have a warrant and request payment over the phone to expunge the warrant. If you receive a call requesting money to avoid arrest, it is a scam.
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