Denver dog owner scammed by pet tracking company

DENVER (KDVR) — A Denver man, already devastated by the loss of his adopted dog, was hurt again when he became 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 were going through my mind,” he said. “Is my little girl safe?”

Cruz posted flyers on social media asking for help from family and friends, then saw an ad for a company that could use drones to search for missing pets. He paid the company $155, but then got a call saying there was a glitch in the payment app, so he could get his money back.

“I asked him if he could send me a screenshot of PayPal saying there would be a refund, but he didn’t send a screenshot. At that point I knew something was up,” Cruz said.

Cruz never heard from the man again. FOX31 Problem Solvers also found the company unregistered in the Secretary of State’s business database or on the Better Business Bureau’s website. The company did post a scam warning on its own website.

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

Colorado’s attorney general and consumer experts told FOX31 Problem Solves that it’s good practice to look up business registrations on the Secretary of State’s website and the Better Business Bureau when it comes to protecting yourself from scams, in addition to Googling the name for bad reviews and getting at 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 on with my life; it feels like a family member has returned,” he said.

Cruz said he wanted to tell his story to help prevent other pet owners from losing money, and he also wanted to speak out strongly against anyone who engages in scams.

“Just get a normal job, find a way to make a good living and stop scamming people out of their hard-earned money,” he said.