Pet Adoption Scams on the Rise, Lubbock Issues Urgent Warning

The City of Lubbock has issued a warning to all citizens about the noticeable rise in pet adoption scams. This is where animal service staff are impersonated in order to charge extra fees to their victims.

Texas Scams: Pet Adoption Edition

In a recent post to the City of Lubbock website, citizens are warned after multiple reports have been made of people falsely claiming to work with Lubbock Animal Services. They then attempt to convince the victim to adopt fake dogs before taking a fee up front.

How to Stay Protected from Adoption Scams

In order to help protect citizens from falling for these scams, the official Lubbock Animal Services has provided a helpful list of things that they will never do.

If you have been contacted about any of the following by someone claiming to be an employee of Lubbock Animal Services, you may be getting scammed:

• If they charge more than $30 for an adoption fee
• If they attempt to collect a "pet deposit"
• If you receive a direct message via social media from "Lubbock Animal Services"
• If they ask you personal finance questions like how much you earn each year
• If they try to schedule a "home visit" before letting you adopt an animal
• If they solicit donations via text messages or phone calls

Another common tactic pet adoption scammers use is put pressure on their victim. This can be done in a few ways, but typically it involves threatening to euthanize the animal until the victim agrees to adopt.

How to Identify Real Employees from the Fakes

Legitimate Lubbock Animal Services employees will wear badges used to identify themselves.

If you feel that you might be in the process of a scam, you can always ask for the identification of the potential scammer before calling Lubbock Animal Services directly at 806-775-2057 to confirm.