Missing pet scam: Police commissioner's warning

A police and crime commissioner is urging owners of missing pets to "think twice" if people ask for money in exchange for their pets' return.

Cheshire's John Dwyer advised people to be "vigilant" after a BBC North West investigation found fraudsters were targeting dog and cat lovers with threatening calls.

Police have said they have been dealing with hundreds of victims across the UK.

Mr Dwyer said the disappearance of family pets "can cause untold pain".

"It's our natural instinct to spread the news far and wide to try and find a missing pet, and the fact that callous criminals are preying on people in a vulnerable moment for financial gain is abhorrent," he added.

"If you receive communications asking for money for the safe return of your pet, think twice."

Linda Tonge received calls demanding cash after her dog, Lulu, disappeared

The BBC investigation found fraudsters were trawling lost pet forums and demanding ransom payments from owners desperate for their safe return.

Linda Tonge, from Greater Manchester, said a man claiming to have found her Yorkshire terrier wanted £2,000, and said she would never see her dog again if she went to the police.

In 2023, one perpetrator was jailed for nearly four years after being convicted of blackmail and theft.

He had threatened to shoot a dog if its owner put the phone down and did not send him £1,000.

Government proposals

Mr Dwyer, who represents the Conservatives, said "no decent human being will keep your pet hostage and threaten to harm them".

"There is next to no chance that these criminals have the animal, and they will say anything to get you to part with your cash," he added.

"So please be vigilant, and if you do wish to give reward money, don't part with it until you know for sure your pet is coming home."

The government recently backed proposals to make stealing cats and dogs a specific criminal offence in England and Northern Ireland.

A bill, which would create an offence of "pet abduction", passed its first Commons hurdle unopposed on Friday.

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