UPAWS warns of new scam in Facebook comments

SANDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLUC) – The Upper Peninsula Animal Shelter (UPAVS) is warning the public about a new scam affecting a no-kill shelter.

UPAWS staff say they noticed scams in comments on their Facebook page.

Accounts pretend to be professional pet rescuers and redirect people to their fake pages. They offer to help find lost pets and then demand payment.

“Oftentimes we try to catch them before people have a chance to come to them, but sometimes they slip under the radar, but just like with the red flags we talked about, if someone asks for money, especially gift cards, This is a HUGE red flag: When they want to get paid with gift cards, just take a little time to investigate before you just trust anyone,” said Ryan McLaren, UPAWS Shelter Operations Coordinator.

McLaren says if you have any doubts, you can always contact UPAWS to check if the account actually works with UPAWS.