Officials warn of 'lost pet scams' as Valhalla family searches for missing dog
Jessica Grassi and her family have been looking everywhere for her pet, putting up flyers and signs around their home in Valhalla and beyond. Grassi has gotten messages, but they’re raising some major red flags
There's an urgent warning about scammers taking advantage of pet owners during very stressful times.
A woman in Valhalla says she's being flooded with concerning messages while trying to find her missing dog.
“It's been my worst nightmare. She’s my everything," said Jessica Grassi.
That everything for Grassi is her dog, Pinto. The 4-year-old dog is a source of comfort during difficult times.
“I kind of pressured my parents into letting me get her because I wasn’t feeling good. She came and two days later, I was in the hospital for a week and diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I get infusions. Pinto sits with me and comforts me throughout them," Grassi explained.
However, she hasn’t seen Pinto in over a month.
“On Sept. 6, she was in my backyard with my mom, going to the bathroom. Our backyard is fenced in and fireworks went off. She got scared and just freaked out and took off under the gate," Grassi told News 12.
Since then, Grassi and her family have been looking everywhere, putting up flyers and signs around their home in Valhalla and beyond.
Grassi has gotten messages, but they’re raising some major red flags.
“A lot of them have the same approach. They say, 'My neighbor found her. I'll give you her address if you send me money.' It's always like Bitcoin, or gift cards or Venmo," said Grassi.
On top of that, they include pictures, even videos that she says appear to be AI-generated.
Officials say these kinds of cases are becoming more common. In fact, News 12’s Walt Kane just did a report on an uptick in scams like this.
Just days ago, police in Norwalk, Connecticut put out an alert on Facebook.
"A missing pet is an emotional and stressful situation and scammers know that. Take a moment to verify before sending money or personal information," read part of the post.
Grassi's search continues for her Pinto. She says the dog has a black stripe on her back. Grassi urges people to reach out with legitimate information.
