Cobb Animal Services officials are issuing a scam alert after they’ve had more than a dozen reports that someone claiming to be with their department is demanding money from people with lost pets.

“They are saying that we have their pet, that the pet is injured, then they eventually go into asking for money,” Cobb Animal Services Director Steve Hammond tells WSB’s Jonathan O’Brien. “We would never ask for money over the phone for an injured pet.”

The scammers typically ask for the money to be sent via PayPal or Venmo - two payment methods that the department doesn’t use.

“They are spoofing our phone number so the call looks like it’s coming from animal services, but it’s not,” Hammond says.

If you are suspicious about the call then you should dial Animal Services’ main number to check with its staff. That number is 770-499-4136.

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