A new scam is preying on pet owners who are at their most vulnerable: after their pet has disappeared.
A local couple trying to find their missing dog lost $350.
John and Brittani Persha's King Charles Cavalier spaniel is reddish in color and weights about 13 pounds. The dog, Ranger, disappeared on Sunday, March 11, in the Bitters and Huebner area on the North Side.
The Pershas put notices on Craigslist, put signs up in the area and even an ad in the newspaper trying to find Ranger. Then they got a call.
"We got the response from the newspaper and he called and he said that he believed he'd seen our dog," said Brittani Persha.
John Persha said he was not suspicious at first.
"He said it was $350 to buy the dog back from these people that he knew, said he had been by earlier, confirmed it was our dog again," said John Persha.
He met the caller at an apartment complex on the west side. Ranger was supposed to be in an upstairs apartment and the caller volunteered to get him back.
John Persha handed over $350.
"I trusted him and let him go with my money," said John Persha.
That is the last he saw of that man and Persha's money.
One theory is that he never did go upstairs, but simply came through a breezeway, ran through the yard at the back of the apartment complex, scaled a chain link fence and stepped through a wooden fence with broken boards.
The couple filed a police report but wanted to warn others about this scam.
"I guess they're making a living because it's working but I just can't believe anybody that would do something like this," said John Persha.
"It makes me sad because they're taking advantage of people in a really vulnerable situation," said Brittani Persha.
The couple is still trying to find their dog, which is microchipped, and is offering a $500 reward.