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Please note: We are updating this blog post (and the comments section) as we hear about more scams targeting pet sitters. Keep reading for the recent scams fellow pet sitters have received and shared with us (and be sure to read the comments section as well). As this 2017 article indicates, scammers continue to target those advertising their pet-sitting services online.

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Pet sitters have received scam messages by email and text. Security measures were added to PSI's Locator to ensure that scammers couldn't simply "scrape" emails off of the site (i.e. run a program to copy all of the email addresses members have listed on their Locator profiles), but scammers can find email addresses for any pet sitter whose contact information is listed publicly (on your own business website, etc.). Some scammers will specifically mention that they found you on PSI's website, or another site, even though that's not necessarily true. We've heard from pet sitters who have never been members, but received emails about being "found on the PSI site." Fortunately, it's typically easy to spot a scam—and there's always one foolproof measure to ensure you don't get scammed: NEVER accepting a pet-sitting assignment or payment until you've met a potential client in person at the initial consultation.

Another tip: Always verify that a communication you receive is actually coming from PSI. PSI emails come from our petsit.com domain and any social media messages would come from our official accounts on Facebook or Instagram. 

Types of scam emails pet sitters have received

Most of the scam emails PSI members (and other pet sitters) have reported to us are scam emails that are sent as if they are from "potential clients." The remainder of this blog post focuses on that type of scam (the most common), and provides more details on the purpose of that type of scam email.

However, we have heard from members who have received other types of scam emails.

These include:

• Scam emails that indicate the pet sitter has won some type of award and needs to send money to claim it.
• Scam emails indicating they are from the United Nations (or another global organization) offering grants but requesting a process fee. (You can also spot these and other phishing emails because the email address is not actually the company's or has the same name as the company but is misspelled.)
• Scam emails that appear to be from an employee asking that their direct deposit information be updated before their next paycheck. (Always have a formal process in place for employees to request changes to payroll information and speak to employees directly before making these types of updates!)

Many pet sitters ask us...what is the purpose of these scams?

When it comes to scam emails from "potential clients," we find that most of the scammers follow the same steps; after making initial contact posing as a potential client (if you respond), they ultimately want to send you a check (often cashier's check) for their payment in advance (and often inform you that they will need to send a check for over the amount they owe you and ask that you send the remaining money to another company/service provider for them.) The checks are forgeries (although they often look legitimate) and some pet sitters have deposited the checks before they realized they were being scammed.

In 2018, we also became aware of a new scam targeting pet sitters—and this scam didn't come from a fake "potential client." Instead, the email was in regards to a United Foundations Grant and included the PSI logo. This email is, of course, fraudulent. You can view the email here. This particular email was distributed by nationgrantunited@gmail.com. The United Nations (nor PSI) would use a gmail address (all official PSI communications come from the petsit.com domain). A similar scam (often associated with the name "Steve Lawson") has also been sent to pet sitters via Facebook, Instagram and text. In this scam, you are asked to send money/money order to pay for processing and/or expediting the grant. 

Examples of scam messages received by pet sitters:

While the most recent scam we’ve learned of does not seem to be targeting pet sitters on the PSI Pet Sitter Locator (but on a similar site), we want you all to be aware. The new wave of scams reported to us this month involve the same old scheme but with different players.

Most pet sitters report receiving these scams by e-mail, but some have also received scams by text. 

Recent scam e-mails received:

Here's two versions of another recent scam we've seen making the rounds via text, email or Locator messages:

Many PSI members received the following message (that is a scam) in July 2016:

"Hello, This is Barry. I saw your AD on PSI..please email me @lord.barry86@gmail.com if you are still available for further details as i have 2DOGS in need of care. Cheers!!!"

While e-mail scams such as "Need Care for Bella" have been going around for a few years, many pet sitters reported receiving three new e-mails from scammers in March 2016.

These e-mails are included below:

Hello,

I just came across your post as a pet sitter on www.petsit.com and I would love to have a chat with you concerning it....Can i contract your services for my pet,a Bolognese dog by the name Sophia?I will be needing your services starting from April 18th which would stretch till may 17th.I'm flexible with the start time but i would prefer between the hours of 10am-11am when i will be off to work. At least a minimum of 1hr daily,(MONDAY - FRIDAYS)

The service include WALKING,FEEDING AND GENERAL CARE....You will be caring for her at my rented suite.Can you tell me the exact location(i.e the closest Major Intersection t your home)so i can calculate how close it will be to my rented suite and also to make further arrangements for the job..I await your positive response.

_________________________________________________________________________________

From: Louis Rourke <lourke@icloud.com<mailto:lourke@icloud.com>>
Date: March 3, 2016 at 3:18:03 PM CST
To: lourke@icloud.com<mailto:lourke@icloud.com>
Subject: Hi
Hi,

My name is Louis Rourke, 47 years old. I got your contact while searching for Dogsitter closeby online. I need your service to house my Dog for 3 weeks, from 20th of March to 12th of April 2016.

Name: Harri
Sex: Male
Age: 3 years old
Breed: Labrador Retriever

Let me know if you can board him for that period and please let me know how much money it will cost for boarding, feeding and all that he may need during his stay with you.

My dog is well behave, cool headed, energetic, easy to control and he gets used to it's handler easily, so as for behavior and getting along with him, you will have no single problem.

I will be waiting to hear from you in time.

Thanks

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On Mar 16, 2016, at 4:24 PM, eketty dora <ekettydora@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello,

How are you doing? My name is Dora,My husband name is Robert, Our daughter Megan . I am relocating to your neighborhood from Dublin. my husband recently got a contract with a company on a private research job. And am 6 months pregnant and this is going to be our second child so we want everything to move smoothly and stress-free, so i am gonna have limited time for our babies and Dogs and this is where i hope you come in and help.I need someone to work 3 days per week 4 hours per day, someone that is mature whether young or older, loves pets, reliable,attentive, honest and punctual. You will be taking care of 2 Dogs and 2 fishes, Misty a yr old Australian Terrier and Razor a 4 years old German Shepard for any three days of your choosing excluding Sundays and will have to take them on a walk at least once a week, give them a bath, brush their hair and make them comfortable while we are away. I can handle the feeding but the rest i wont be able to do, so you can work for us as long as you want. Our 2 fishes on the other hand are my  daughter's favorite One is a Fancy Goldfish, while the other is an Auratus Cichlid, Fin and Stiff, you will assist my daughter in their up keeping. I trust you can do this for us.Which city and suburb are you?

 I will be offering you $400 weekly, i will be needing your services for 4 hours at any suitable time of yours. Bonus will be paid if there are any overtime, If you believe you are fit for this position in as much you will prove yourself to be a reliable and good person, I will instruct my financial clerk to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service in advance and to show our commitment on our part.

 I will be waiting to hear from you

Thanks.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Hi,My name is Mary. In response to your PETSIT Ad, my name is Mary I'm in DARE needs a pet sitter for my DOG.Kindly get back to me at maryhoward8701gmail.com. Please DO NOT reply me via the site. I dont come here often due to my work schedule. Just email me directly. Once again, my email is: maryhoward8701@gmail.com. Please do get bac k to me as soon as you can. Cheers!!! Mary.

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A pet sitter shares her experience with an e-mail scammer

Thanks to pet sitter Stacey Evans, owner of The Pet Concierge in Maine, for sharing the information she received from a new scammer using the name “Jeffrey Martins” and e-mailing from a Hotmail address.

Here’s the first e-mail she received: _________________________________________________________________________________

On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 10:21 AM, Jeffrey Martin wrote:

Hello My name is Jeffrey Martins and i contacted you because i am in need of a caring, kind and patient pet sitter for my Pet dog Blitzen,i got your information on the Petsit LLC website.... blitzen is a Golden retriever, very calm,playful and always happy.. he is good around other dogs.... Please contact me back if you think you are interested in take care of blitzen _________________________________________________________________________________

Of course, she replied to him to offer additional information about the services she offered and invited him to read her client testimonials and send more specific details about the dates he needed service, etc. Then, she received this e-mail: _________________________________________________________________________________

On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 9:57 AM, Jeffrey Martin wrote:

Thank you for your response concerning the Pet sitting/Dog walking job,My name is Jefferey Martins ,am married with a daughter named (July) and my Wife Elizabeth then our Pet dog(blitzen),We are a devoted christian family coming in to the United states am planning a vacation to the states with families and our adorable dog for few period of time in USA from Ontario Canada,so we have located it and decided to have our family work on all we need before moving into your neighborhood ,we have a very adorable dog (Blitzen) ,he is cute and adorable(Golden Retriever) he is very friendly and playful.he is also very much comfortable with other dogs and cat too he enjoys being indoors with US.

Going for walks is Blitzen's very favorite activity. he plays well with other dogs too. Blitzen is house trained and crate trained... I would be needing the service of a caring with positive personality to take good care of Blitzen because i want him to have a wonderful stay and will like to make provision for you to take good care of him for us.More so,I will be making arrangements in renting an apartment close to you but it depends on your location as i will be needing your services,I need you to take care of Blitzen around the hours of 2 - 6 pm from Mondays through Fridays or anytime you are convenient with,you just have to let me know your time schedule as for us to fix a time that won't be a problem or inconvenience your other daily activities ,You would only be needed for 20 hrs per week at your convenience and will like you to get back to me with your available hours. We will be arriving in The states(7th of June 2014), which means if you accept to work with blitzen you can begin to work with us on the 8th or the 9th of June..

I will be needing your service for up to 2 months or more, and willing to offer you $400.00 per week with benefits as compensation for a trustworthy and honest candidate.Also i will like to know if you can also help us run little errands before our arrival too.. if you agree with us, our location will not be far from you which are the reason why we want to secure a pet sitter before our Agent get us a house the Keys and the description of the house will be mailed to you as soon as possible.

We have a financier that is based in the states and will be handling the payment and as well as our other expenses, so he will be the one that will be taking care of your payment, I will instruct him to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service. As soon as we reach a concrete agreement, I can instruct our financier to process a cashier’s check to you for the payment i will be waiting to read from you with Your schedule and other questions which you have to ask us.. Will be waiting to read from you

Regards Jeffery Martins and Family _________________________________________________________________________________

A few more e-mail exchanges took place and she shared her contact information, including business address with him at his request. Subsequently, she received a cashier’s check that was to be payment for the services he requested.

Here’s Stacey’s account of what happened next:

“He said he was sending me a check for $400 (one week) so I could get started helping to get the house ready. The cashier's check was sent via Fedex for several months' work and the dollar amount wasn't a round figure. I wondered if this had to do with an exchange rate. Nevertheless, I'd become quite suspicious and started my research last night.

The paper was perforated and looked secure. The check was issued from USBank in MN and mailed from NY. I called US Bank and tried to validate the check. They said they couldn't say anything either way with the information I provided. I sent Mr. Martin an email last night stating US Bank cannot validate the availability of funds for that check and asking if he would he mind a different form of payment such as a money order. I also asked him for the name of the realtor as a local reference. Needless to say, I haven't received a reply.

I went to my credit union today and through their investigation, concluded it was a forgery.”

Another e-mail scam: "Bella Needs Care"

Another scam PSI-member pet sitters have brought to our attention starts with an e-mail with the subject line: "Bella needs care." Here's the e-mail she received:

Hello, I just saw your post as a pet caregiver on www.petsit.com and I'm hoping to talk with you more about it. How many years of professional pet sitting experience have you accumulated while working with Pets? Can I contract your services for my pet, a Samoyed dog by the name Bella? I shall be needing services starting from August 4th and would stretch till September 3rd. I'm flexible with start time but preferably between 10AM-11AM, when i will be off to work. At least a minimum of 1hrs daily, (MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAYS). Services include walking, feeding and general care. You will be caring for her at my rented suite. Can you tell me your exact location (i.e the closest Major Intersection to your home) so I can calculate how close it will be to my rented suite and also to make further arrangements for the task. I look forward to reading from you soon.

Thanks, Gary Abston.

This scammer, like the others we've heard about, will eventually ask for your contact information and will send a (fake) cashier's check for you to deposit.

Update: This scam was most recently sent to several pet sitters in March 2016, using similar content, but a different name:

From: richard wilson <richardwilson636@gmail.com>

Subject: Pet sitter Needed

Date: March 11, 2016 at 6:13:08 PM CST

To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Hello,

I just saw your post as a pet sitter on www.petsit.com and I'm hoping to talk with you more about it. How many years of professional pet sitting experience have you accumulated while working with Pets? Can I contract your services for my pet, a Samoyed dog by the name Bella? I will be needing services starting from April 4th and would stretch till May 5th. I'm flexible with start time but preferably between 10AM-11AM, when i will be off to work. At least a minimum of 1hrs daily, (MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAYS).

Services include walking, feeding and general care. You will be caring for her at my rented suite. Can you tell me your exact location (i.e the closest Major Intersection to your home) so I can calculate how close it will be to my rented suite and also to make further arrangements for the task. I look forward to reading from you soon.

Thanks,
Richard Wilson.

Protecting your pet-sitting business from scammers

If you receive a suspicious e-mail, the FBI encourages you to file a complaint at www.IC3.gov. While you’re there, be sure to read up on tips to help you avoid being scammed, such as the following:

Counterfeit Cashier's Check

• Inspect the cashier's check.
• Ensure the amount of the check matches in figures and words.
• Check to see that the account number is not shiny in appearance.
• Be watchful that the drawer's signature is not traced.
• Official checks are generally perforated on at least one side.
• Inspect the check for additions, deletions or other alterations.
• Contact the financial institution on which the check was drawn to ensure legitimacy.
• Obtain the bank's telephone number from a reliable source, not from the check itself.
• Be cautious when dealing with individuals outside of your own country.

We might add that the old adage “if something sounds too good to be true it probably is” definitely applies here.

New pet sitters may be particularly susceptible to this type of scam and dismiss warning signs if they are in a rush to get clients. Again, you should never accept an assignment or payment without meeting the clients in person at an initial consultation.

If something doesn’t sound right, the best thing to do is follow your instincts and simply delete the e-mail.

Remember, it’s far better to spend your time on good clients than to waste your time and money on fishy ones! You can also learn more about online scams on the FBI website.

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