How a ‘Lovely Family' Abroad Can Scam You With The Pet Sitter Job
You love dogs, you always did. You might even think that you can make some money dog sitting, so one day you post your resume online looking for a job on sites such as Pet Sitter, Indeed, or Craigslist. After a few days, a lovely family living in a different state sends you a message. They say they are planning to move to your city next month. They are contacting you about their Bella, a beautiful Golden Retriever who will need sitting.
You start chatting, exchange pictures with each other's dogs, and become friends. Most importantly, earn each other's trust. More exactly, he earns yours. Little do you know you are becoming a victim of one of the most notorious scams of the week. How does it work?
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Criminals use the exact same tactics of an old scam, which has been targeting caregivers and nannies. If you are not familiar with the Caregiver trick let's take a quick look at it so you would understand the Pet Sitter approach.
Watch the video below to see the scam exposed in the news:
The 'employer' is not a family, but a cyber crook who sends an initial email just like the one below:
“Thank you for your response concerning the Pet sitting/Dog walking job.
My name is Jefferey Martins, I am married with a daughter named (July) and my Wife Elizabeth then our Pet dog (Bella). We are a devoted Christian family coming into the United States am planning a vacation to the states with families and our adorable dog for a short period of time in the USA from Ontario, Canada.
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 (Bella), she is cute and adorable (Golden Retriever) she is very friendly and playful. She is also very much comfortable with other dogs and cats too he enjoys being indoors with the US.
Going for walks is Bella's very favorite activity. She plays well with other dogs too. Bella is house trained and crate trained… I would be needing the service of caring with a positive personality to take good care of Bella because I want her to have a wonderful stay and will like to make provision for you to take good care of her 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 Bella 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 next month on the 7th, which means if you accept to work with Bella you can begin to work with us on the 8th or the 9th..
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 is the reason why we want to secure a pet sitter before our Agent gets 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”
So how does the scam work?
They proceed by sending you a check of, say $300, just so you can get the house ready in time for their arrival. They may ask you to buy a lot of pet food so they don't have to waste time doing it when arrive.
What happens is that as soon as you receive the check you will notice that the amount of money on it is $3,000, not $300. The 'employer' will ‘admit' that made a mistake and ask you to deposit the full check into your account, then send them back the difference of $2,700 via Western Union. Little do you know that you were the victim of the Fake Check Scam – meaning that the check they sent will bounce in a few working days and you'll be in debt a few thousand dollars at the bank.
Pet Sitter Scam: How To Avoid
Besides ‘Jeffrey Martins', scammers also use the names ‘Gary Abston' and ‘Daniel Santiago'. Report below under ‘Comments' if you were approached by someone else with the same pitch. Keep in mind, never accept checks in great amounts from companies you don't know anything about.
Pet Sitter Scam: How To Report
Make your family and friends aware of the Dog Sitter Scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
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Again thank you for responding and am glad I am able to send you an email. Am currently in Boston but I should be arriving in about 10 days and like you know I will be needing a pet sitter for Billy immediately. I will also need you for one or two errands to help me go to the grocery store, do some shopping for myself and Rob cos my son is just two years old and i really want to give him the very best of care and tenderness, also you be helping me make arrangement for the furniture and interior decor for our new home which is going to be your first errand upon our arrival. Am trying to make this as detailed as possible so we don’t have to go back and forth. I am apparently looking at 3 or 4days a week for both pet sitting and errands so please let me know if it will be convenient for you.
Regarding your first errand, I will need to get some things fixed before we arrive like the furniture and interior decor bills and also oversee the delivery( It’s just a flexible and simple errand and I will really need an honest and responsible person to be precise). This could be a temporary/permanent job depending on your own schedule. We are moving to a new home. All the furniture and interior decor designs are all from China(Dont mind me lol, i just love classic and quality products ?) but they have their showroom here in the States(NEBRASKA) so all the arrangements will be made here in the States. I have also contacted the furniture company but I should let you know as soon as we finalize the details.. Here is a little about me though: I am a single mother,34 years old. I have lived in Phoenix, AZ before. I attended Arizona School for Nursing, where I achieved my highest qualification. I worked as a member of the Boston Neighborhood Center(BNC). Am a single Mom, I attend the catholic church. You will get to know more about me when we eventually meet.
So I would need answers to the few questions below and am also attaching some pictures of myself and Billy ? .
1) Can you drive?
2) Do you have any criminal record? Doesn’t really matter to me as long as you have learned from your past mistakes, I’m ready to give you a chance.
3) What is the address of the closest Walmart to you ?
4) Total charges for the hours
5) How old are you ?
6) How long have you been a pet sitter?
7) Do you have a working bank account(Not requesting your bank details though)?
Thanks and I really hope to hear from you asap..
Regards.
Anne Moore
I received an email similar to everyone’s here & my email was the exact same to someone’s here. I’m so mad & I feel so dumb for almost falling for this!! I was so excited to earn that much money lol
“Hello Jailene
How are you doing? I’m Sesan Colby and my husband’s name are Sonto Colby, I asked my niece to help me seek a Pet Sitter. We will be relocating to your neighborhood from Puerto Rico. My husband is an HIV/AIDS specialist, and he is coming to take care of the health of the CEO of a private Firm.
However, we need someone to look after our very adorable 6 months old dog (Max), he is cute and adorable (American Pitbull) he is very friendly and playful. He is also very much comfortable with other dogs and cats too. He enjoys being indoors with us. Going for walks is Max’s very favorite activity. He plays well with other dogs too. Max is house trained, and crate trained. I would be needing the service of a caring person with a positive personality to take good care of Max because I want him to have a wonderful stay and would like to make provision for you to take good care of him for us. I entrust you to give him the best care… You can work any 4 hours between 9am in the morning to 11pm at night.
Which city are you living in?
You will work for us 3 days per week and 4 good Hours per day. The job is flexible, cars may not be needed in this job and if needed I can be picking and dropping you off on the needed days.
I will be offering you $550 weekly; you should get back to me with your preferred schedule on when you will be available to work so I can know how to work on it. If you think and believe you will be a Good fit and reliable for this position and prove yourself to be a good person, I will instruct my financial manager to pay for the first week before our arrival to secure your service in advance.
I will be waiting to hear from you, so I can send you further details.
Sesan Colby.”
Here’s the email I received. Got as far as giving my address and phone number before my boyfriend looked up this article:
Hello Taylor,
How are you doing? I’m Susan Colby and my husband’s name are Fred Colby, I asked my niece to help me seek a Pet Sitter. We will be relocating to your neighborhood from Puerto Rico. My husband is an HIV/AIDS specialist, and he is coming to take care of the health of the CEO of a private Firm.
However, we need someone to look after our very adorable 6 months old dog (Max), he is cute and adorable (American Pitbull) he is very friendly and playful. He is also very much comfortable with other dogs and cats too. He enjoys being indoors with us. Going for walks is Max’s very favorite activity. He plays well with other dogs too. Max is house trained, and crate trained. I would be needing the service of a caring person with a positive personality to take good care of Max because I want him to have a wonderful stay and would like to make provision for you to take good care of him for us. I entrust you to give him the best care… You can work any 4 hours between 9am in the morning to 11pm at night.
Which city are you living in?
You will work for us 3 days per week and 4 good Hours per day. The job is flexible, cars may not be needed in this job and if needed I can be picking and dropping you off on the needed days.
I will be offering you $550 weekly; you should get back to me with your preferred schedule on when you will be available to work so I can know how to work on it. If you think and believe you will be a Good fit and reliable for this position and also prove yourself to be a good person, I will instruct my financial manager to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service in advance.
I will be waiting to hear from you, so I can send you further details.
Susan Colby.
Similar scam, targeting students first through their college email about an “uncle” who needs a pet sitter, directing them to correspond with [email protected]
Here’s a new name going around: Charissa Greene. Got an email from an administrator at my college with the offer. I naively assumed that the security on the school’s emails would be stronger. I was wrong, and then things got really weird when they wanted to send me a check for $2,450 instead of the $350 I was to be paid. Checked into it and it’s a total scam. They now have a ton of my personal information, and part of me just feels so stupid for even believing it for the week that I did. Lesson learned: your college/university emails accounts are just as likely to get hacked and send scam emails to students as personal emails.
Had the same scam pulled on me Feb 6, 2020. Owner said their name was Lucy Natoli and the phone number they gave was +1 (712) 796-0419. Terrible English, I realized what was happening when I googled the number and found it associated with a scam on petsit.com
This is the scam I received,
"How are you doing? I’m Christine Gates and my husband name is Andrew Gates, I asked my niece to help me seek a Pet Sitter. We will be relocating to your neighborhood (Riverside, CA) from Puerto Rico. My husband is an HIV/AIDS specialist and he is coming to take care of the health of the CEO of a private Firm, while I am a Senior Security Consultant.
However, we need someone to look after our very adorable dog (Max), he is cute and adorable(German Shepherd) he is 6 months old and weighs 55 lbs, 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 Max’s very favorite activity. He plays well with other dogs too. Max is house trained and crate trained. I would be needing the service of a caring with positive personality to take good care of Max 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 I entrust you to give him the best care… You can work any 4 hours between 9am in the morning to 11pm at night.
Which city you are living in?
Where is it convenient for you to pet sit Max?
At your place or our my place?
What are your current schedule?
You will work for us 3 days per week and also 4 good Hours per day. The job is flexible, Car may not be needed in this job and if needed I can be picking and dropping you off on the needed days.
I will be offering you $450 weekly, You should get back to me with your preferred schedule on when you will be available to work so I can know how to work on it.
If you think and believe you will be a good fit and reliable for this position and also prove yourself to be a good person, I will instruct my financial manager to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service in advance.
I will be waiting to hear from you, so I can send you further details and you must answer the 3 questions above..
No problem about working hours, We will be living in Riverside, CA. I and my family would be coming into town on the 20th of January and we would want you to get started on 21st, so let me know when its most convenient for you to start and also my financial Manager will make out a check to you before our arrival, which means I will like to pay you in advance.
You will receive a Certified check which you will deduct your wages of $450 for the first week so as to secure your service upfront and the remaining funds will be used to buy foodstuffs and Dog accessories such as dog bowls & feeders, to travel necessities such as collars & harnesses, socks, rugs and seat belts.
You will be getting the foodstuffs on or before the day of our arrival. Actually our flights from Puerto Rico will arrive at night so I will need you to make all preparations ready.
So my financial would be needing the following information to make out the check payment.
Full Name to be on the check:
Address with Apt Number & zip-code:
Age:
Gender:
Cell phone number:
All I need from you is total honesty and sincerity. I know you will be committed to the work, you will also have a nice period of time working with me and my husband. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions as well.
Christine Gates.
Im so upset right now. I have been "texting" with the secretary and even bought all the "supplies needed". But things got really weird when Fedex did deliver the package with the check inside yet, and all the "secretary" would text back was to get in contact with Fedex and how important it was to receive the check. I would reply that they can pay me when we meet… cant believe it. This is what I received:
How are you today and thanks for your response regarding the offer I put up for pet service, He is a 72 lbs Alaskan husky. I need someone with a reputable pet care service so let me feel comfortable discussing this opening as it concerns the comfort of my fur baby that happens to be the only baby I have presently but hoping for that to change soon. My name is Dennis Lowry and my wife’s name is Jessica, I need someone to look after my pet and I believe I can trust your judgment on that. We are relocating from Georgia to your neighborhood and currently working with my Realtor on the apartment we tend to secure in Towson…..my company recently got a contract with a company on private marketing research job and I’ll be in charge. My wife is 6 months pregnant, she was in a little accident few weeks ago so I’m a little indisposed and this is going to be a big change in my family so we want everything to move smoothly and stress-free, so I am gonna have limited time for Blue 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 old, loves pets, reliable, attentive, honest and punctual. You will be taking care of Blue for any three days of your choosing excluding Sundays and you will have to take her on a walk at least once a week, give him a bath, feed him, brush his hair and make him comfortable while we are away. You can work for us as long as you want. I plan on getting 2 fishes on the other hand; one is a Fancy Goldfish, while the other is an Auratus Cichlid, we’ve never had fishes but I wish to have the very best care for them. I trust you can do this for us.
Our arrival date will be on the 9th of October and we’ll be having a face to face meet on the 10th, the second day after our arrival. I will be offering you $350 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… In addition to this and if we are able to reach an agreement, we would be needing you to help us get some few pets and supplies prior to our arrival so we don’t have to start running around when we arrive town so I am going to need your trust on that as well. Attached below are pictures of Blue
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 issue a payment that will cover your first week pay and as well as fund to get the supplies for us prior to our arrival so as to secure your service in advance and to show our commitment on our part.
If you are willing to work for us then I would be needing your information as requested below. Upon receipt of the details, I will ask my financier to look into it and verify the address and once that is done we can proceed further with payment arrangement and additional details;
Full Name:
Full address with Apt Number:
City, State and Zip code:
Phone number:
Days available to work:
I await to read from you soon
Dennis
This was my scam
Hello How is your day going? Thanks for your response, I am glad to read from you. I am a Father 3, Chris, Emmanuel and Sharon, they are 6 yrs, 3yrs and 8 month respectively.I attended Chicago School for the Deaf where I achieved my highest qualification. I have my own business (Self Employed). I attend the catholic. We are in the process of relocating to your area. I am 39 and I am hard of hearing. I work based on the development and counseling of the deaf people in the community, I am moving to your area in few weeks with my adorable dog and I really need a honest and responsible care for my pet. Danny he is cute and adorable 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 Danny is very favorite activity. he plays well with other dogs too. Danny is house trained and crate trained…. and have contacted a suppliers for the dog Cage, toys, blankets,food,bed.and other things you will care for him starting 26th of October I will appreciate if you can tell me a few things about yourself and maybe attach one or two pictures of you, below are your duties:
House Sitting/Pet Sitting/walking/Daily Feeding
This could be a temporary/permanent job. It depends on what your schedule looks like and also i will like you to know the hours are flexible but I do like to be sure if you are available the first month. I made some research on the wages for your service and I have decided to start with $30 per hour and as time goes we can negotiate on a new pay as my dog get along with you. I want to inform you that I have a seminar I will be attending to as soon as I arrive and will be having an interview section with you immediately I arrive with my Dog. Also I will like to include your pay to our payroll for the period just to have you booked down and secure for my Pet. I will be needing the following information below to issue out the check to you and I need your direct mobile number so I can text you in case I need to pass an urgent information:
Full Name:
Address:
Apt:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Phone #:
I have made some arrangements with the dog utility suppliers, so as soon as you get the payment, you will deduct your first week pay and have the rest sent to the dog utility suppliers as soon as the check clears, I hope my Dog will have the best of time while is in your care and I hope you will treat him right just like yours. Get back to me as I have a lot of issue to put in place prior to my arrival. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you and God bless.
This exact same thing happened to me but I actually fell for it and gave this guy my information. He sent me a check for 2 thousand something and my dad now has to go to state troopers about it. I really can’t believe this!
I got the same message as Avery below except the names of the people were changed (dogs were the same) This stemmed from someone named Courtney G on Rover (who’s profile was created that day) about an opportunity to sit a dog named Oliver, where the one in her profile was named Mario. She told me her employer needed a sitter and so on and to reach out to her via email if I was interested. Upon reaching out I received the email below about Kona and Nala and sent another message to Courtney asking who Oliver was and have yet to hear back. I have gone ahead and reported her profile and hope that rover will remove it and no one else falls victim here. For fun, I responded to Christine aka Sarah about where they plan to move to here and also if we could video chat, so hopefully, I won’t be hearing from them again. I was sent photos of the dogs as well as of Christine, but google images wasn’t able to find anything.
I received a message just like this from the name "Emily Brock" on facebook. They used Bella for the dog’s name as well. Be careful guys!
I got a very similar message from a Sarah Pickett, and when I received the check I realized it wasn’t from a personal bank account so I researched them and thank god I found this page!!
Here’s the email I received:
Hello,
My name is Sarah (31 years) and my husband’s name is David (39) , we are easy going and very kind. I’m a bit hard of hearing but I hear pretty well with my cochlear implant. We need a caregiver for our two Dogs (Kona and Nala), this position could be permanent or temporary depending on your availability. I’m moving with my husband to your area, he just got promoted and transferred from his place of work, and I won’t be able to do some things with my Fur Babies because I’m 6 Months pregnant, I and my husband have been married for 6 years and this is going to be our first child and we want everything to move smoothly till I put to bed. Our furry babies are friendly, Kona (1 years, 2 months) is a German shepherd, David got him in London and he is considered our first child while Nala is a Labrador Retriever, 1 years 8 months, he’s friendly and loves to play our second child. They are not aggressive and not temperamental around other dogs but Nala can be naughty sometimes…. Lol, they are quite spoiled and very adorable. They both receive Bark-boxes every month and allowed on all furniture in our home despite Nala’s shedding. They’ve truly been one of the greatest blessings in my life and I’m very fortunate that David loves them as much as I do.
We’d need you to brush their coats and take them for walks at least once a week, they are well trained and won’t give you any problem, I can manage with their feeding and when ever you come around you can also feed them. We would be happy if you’d love them like we do. They’re quite adorable, our babies will be arriving a day before us and my husband wouldn’t mind to pay you to secure your service before our arrival as well as for you to get some dog food, brush and other things needed for them.
You’ll be working for 3 days a week for at least three hours a day/ 9 hours a week, we’d prefer to have fixed days but we can be flexible if your weekly schedule changes, just let us know ahead of time. You’ll be coming to our house to look after the dogs.. We are willing to pay $35 per hour for both dogs. We’d need to know the days you’d be available.
What is your zipcode so we can calculate your transportation cost if needed?
Terms – 3 DAYS FOR THE TOTAL OF 9 HOURS WEEKLY (3 HOUR DAILY)
Between 10am and 9pm
I hope you have read and understood all I have written as I want things to be done with sincerity and done the way I ask you to please, I’m very pleasant and show people around me that same gesture. I’d love to know more about you.
However, you can let me know the time and days you will be available.. And what’s your number in case my husband would want to chat with you?
I will be waiting to hear from you.
Regards
I received this scam from Luc Eric Lafreniere and almost fell for it. He wanted a pet sitter for 2 german shepherd puppies – $300 dollars for 6 hours a week. He said that he was moving to my area and his employer was providing him with an apartment. I did send the information he asked of me – name, address, telephone number but then got very suspicious and asked him to send me photos of himself and his wife, photos of the puppies, the name, address, and phone number of his employer so I could verify his employment, and his personal address and phone number. Surprise, surprise, I received no correspondence after that!
Be careful out there. Dog walking, sitting, and boarding is very popular and many people sign up under Rover, Wag, SitterCity etc. Be very wary of any offers that sound too good to be true.
This is from “Mark Bower” on Rover
Hello Emma,
How are you today and thanks for your response regarding the offer I put up for pet service, He is a 78 lbs mixed Alaskan husky. I need someone with a reputable pet care service to let me feel comfortable discussing this opening as it concerns the comfort of my fur baby that happens to be the only baby I have presently but hoping for that to change soon. My name is Mark Bower and my wife’s name is Catherine, I need someone to look after my pet and I believe I can trust your judgment on that. We are relocating from Los Angeles to your neighborhood and currently working with my Realtor on the apartment we tend to secure in Bellmawr…my company recently got a contract with a company on private marketing research job and I’ll be in charge. My wife is 6 months pregnant, she was in a little accident few weeks ago so I’m a little indisposed and this is going to be a big change in my family so we want everything to move smoothly and stress-free, so I am gonna have limited time for Brann 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 old, loves pets, reliable, attentive, honest and punctual. You will be taking care of Brann for any three days of your choosing excluding Sundays and you will have to take him on a walk at least once a week, give him a bath, feed him, brush his hair and make him comfortable while we are away. You can work for us as long as you want. I plan on getting 2 fishes on the other hand; one is a Fancy Goldfish, while the other is an Auratus Cichlid, we’ve never had fishes but I wish to have the very best care for them. I trust you can do this for us.
Our arrival date will be on the 11th of August and we’ll be having a face to face meet on the 12th, the second day after our arrival. I will be offering you $350 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… In addition to this and if we are able to reach an agreement, we would be needing you to help us get some few pets and supplies prior to our arrival so we don’t have to start running around when we arrive town so I am going to need your trust on that as well. Attached below is pictures of Brann
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 issue a payment that will cover your first week pay and as well as fund to get the supplies for us prior to our arrival so as to secure your service in advance and to show our commitment on our part.
If you are willing to work for us then I would be needing your information as requested below. Upon receipt of the details, I will ask my financier to look into it and verify the address and once that is done we can proceed further with payment arrangement and additional details;
Full Name:
Full address with Zip code/ P.O box:
Phone number:
Days available to work:
I await to read from you soon:
Mark.
Luc Eric Lafreniere is this scammer’s “name”.
Hello Emma,
How are you today? Thank you for your message towards the Pet-Sitting position.. My name is Luc Eric Lafreniere, I’m 53years old and my wife’s name is Akiva, I just got transferred to Grand Rapids, MI as an auditor..I’m moving with just the puppies Greg and Sherry as they are German Shepherd.
I’m partially disabled so I will need someone to work 2 days per week for 3 hours daily, someone that loves pets, reliable, attentive, honest and punctual. You will be taking care of two 4months old pups for any two days of your choosing excluding Sundays and will have to take them on a walk at least once a week, brush their hairs and make them comfortable, they are both very friendly and obedient, I can handle feeding them but I can’t take them out as much as they’d like me to.
My employee are in the process of securing an apartment for me and I will send you my home address when my apartment is completely secured. Let me know if you prefer me dropping them off at your apartment or you coming over to my apartment to be with them?
My arrival date will be 30th Of July and you can start working that week if it’s convenient for you. I am offering $300 weekly, extra bonuses will be paid if there are any overtimes.. If you are fit for this position and will prove yourself to be a reliable and good person, my employers will like to pay for the first week before my arrival to secure your service in advance and to show commitment on our part .
The following information will be required;
Full Name –
Mailing address(NO PO BOX) –
City –
State –
Zip code –
Age –
Phone number –
Days willing to work –
I await to read from you soon.
Warmest regards,
Luc.
I was first baited by a nephew helping his uncle find pet care. This is the first email I received from the “uncle”
Hello Sarah,
How are you today? Thank you for your message towards the Pet-Sitting position.. My name is Luc Eric Lafreniere, I’m 53years old and my wife’s name is Akiva, I just got transferred to Mount Washington Valley, NH as an auditor..I’m moving with just the puppies Greg and Sherry as they are German Shepherd.
I’m partially disabled so I will need someone to work 2 days per week for 3 hours daily, someone that loves pets, reliable, attentive, honest and punctual. You will be taking care of two 4months old pups for any two days of your choosing excluding Sundays and will have to take them on a walk at least once a week, brush their hairs and make them comfortable, they are both very friendly and obedient, I can handle feeding them but I can’t take them out as much as they’d like me to.
My employee are in the process of securing an apartment for me and I will send you my home address when my apartment is completely secured. Let me know if you prefer me dropping them off at your apartment or you coming over to my apartment to be with them?
My arrival date will be 30th Of July and you can start working that week if it’s convenient for you. I am offering $300 weekly, extra bonuses will be paid if there are any overtimes.. If you are fit for this position and will prove yourself to be a reliable and good person, my employers will like to pay for the first week before my arrival to secure your service in advance and to show commitment on our part .
The following information will be required;
Full Name –
Mailing address(NO PO BOX) –
City –
State –
Zip code –
Age –
Phone number –
Days willing to work –
I await to read from you soon.
Warmest regards,
Luc.
Hello How is your day going? Thanks for your response, I am glad to read from you. I am a Father 2, Emmanuel and Sharon, they are 6 yrs, 3yrs and 8 month respectively.I attended Chicago School for the Deaf where I achieved my highest qualification. I have my own business (Self Employed). I attend the catholic. We are in the process of relocating to your area. I am 39 and I am hard of hearing.I work based on the development and counseling of the deaf people in the community, I am moving to your area in few weeks with my adorable dog and I really need a honest and responsible care for my pet. Danny he is cute and adorable 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 Danny is very favorite activity. he plays well with other dogs too. Danny is house trained and crate trained…. and have contacted a suppliers for the dog Cage, toys, blankets,food,bed.and other things you will care for him starting 12th of August I will appreciate if you can tell me a few things about yourself and maybe attach one or two pictures of you, below are your duties:
House Sitting,Mail/Newspaper Retrieval,Watering Plants,Pet Sitting/walking,Daily Feeding
This could be a temporary/permanent job. It depends on what your schedule looks like and also i will like you to know the hours are flexible but I do like to be sure if you are available the first month. I made some research on the wages for your service and I have decided to start with $30 per hour and as time goes we can negotiate on a new pay as my dog get along with you. I want to inform you that I have a seminar I will be attending to as soon as I arrive and will be having an interview section with you immediately I arrive with my Dog. Also I will like to include your pay to our payroll for the period just to have you booked down and secure for my Pet. I will be needing the following information below to issue out the check to you and I need your direct mobile number so I can text you in case I need to pass an urgent information:
Full Name:
Address:
Apt:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Phone #:
I have made some arrangements with the dog utility suppliers, so as soon as you get the payment, you will deduct your first week pay and have the rest sent to the dog utility suppliers as soon as the check clears, I hope my Dog will have the best of time while is in your care and I hope you will treat him right just like yours. Get back to me as I have a lot of issue to put in place prior to my arrival. I look forward to hearing back from you.Thank you and God bless.
^^^ Justin Heather. he sent me a picture of his dog and family, but still sounds sketchy
This was from Luc Eric Lafreniere, whose name is Luke on the passport photo he attached!
Hello Sarah,
I am in receipt of your mail along with information’s provided as requested in my previous mail,its my pleasure to work with you as you take-on responsibility of taking care of my puppies.
After a thorough review of your application, I have selected you for the service of taking care of the dogs at the agreed time.. I want to make sure you have everything you need to do your job and for this reason, I am putting in some measures to this effect.
My wife have made proper arrangement for items and food and furniture’s for the puppies to enable you do your job easily.
She has ordered the below items so as to make your job easy,
– Food (dry food, wet food and treats) and bowls.
– Medications, including when and how much to give.
– Toys.
– Harnesses and leashes.
– Grooming supplies, such as shampoo, brushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
– Cleaning supplies, such as paper towels and an enzymatic cleanser.
– Furniture.
My plan is to have someone available to do this pet-sitting job before my arrival, so I can easily settle down with my job,this is why I am making sure all is done to secure your services before my arrival.
To secure your services before my arrival my employee will be sending you a check in the amount of $2,980, this is to cover your first week pay of $300 and the balance funds should be sent to the clerk who will purchase the items and have them in place to help us settle in quickly when we arrive.
Upon your receipt of the check,I will let you know how to go about the balance for the above listed items my wife has ordered.I will count on you and your words as I hope we will have a nice time working together.
NOTE: I will dropping off my puppies in your apartment on the days you are to watch after them…..if this is not fine with you I can let you stay with them at my apartment.Let me know which best suits you.
I will let you have my home address as soon as I arrive.I would also appreciate any form of identification via email attachment in your next mail.
Find attached to this mail a copy of my International Passport.
I await your response to this mail so I can forward your details to my employees for payment to be mailed to you next week.
Lastly provide me any form of Identification Drivers License or any form of identification in your next mail.
Thanks,
Luc.
Had the same exact thing happen to me with someone under the name Cathy Walden. Here’s her email:
"Hello how are you doing today ? Thanks for your response, I am glad to read from you. My name is Cathy Ann Walden, I’m hard hearing woman Without much delay, I am a single mother.I attended Missouri School for the Deaf where I achieved my highest qualification. I have my own business (Self Employed).I attend the catholic. We are in the process of relocating to your area. I am 49 and I am hard of hearing. I work based on the development and counselling of the deaf people in the community, I am moving to your area in few weeks with my adorable dog and I really need an honest and responsible care for my pet. Skipper she is cute and adorable(Golden Retriever) she is very friendly and playful.she is also very much comfortable with other dogs and cat too she enjoys being indoors with us. Going for walks Skipper is very favourite activity. she plays well with other dogs too. Skipper is house trained and crate trained….. and have contacted a suppliers for the dog Cage, toys, blankets, food, bed. and other things you will care for him starting 15th June , I will appreciate if you can tell me a few things about yourself and maybe attach one or two pictures of you, below are your duties:
House Sitting,Mail/Newspaper Retrieval,Watering Plants,Pet Sitting/walking,Daily Feeding
This could be a temporary/permanent job. It depends on what your schedule looks like but I do like to be sure if you are available the first month. I made some research on the wages for your service and I have decided to start with $25 per hour and as time goes we can negotiate on a new pay as my dog get along with you.I want to inform you that I have a seminar I will be attending to as soon as I arrive and will be having an interview section with you immediately I arrive with my Dog. Also I will like to include your pay to our payroll for the period just to have you booked down and secure for my Pet.I will be needing the following information below to issue out your first week pay check to you , kindly get back to me with the requested information so i can have you fully booked for the job and arrangement can be made for other needed things.I hope my Dog will have the best of time while is in your care and I hope you will treat her right just like yours. Get back to me as I have a lot of issue to put in place prior to my arrival. I look forward to hearing back from you.
1… Full Name, Address or P.o Box address, Apt #,city Zip code
2… Cell #
we are excited and looking forward to meeting you soonest
Thank you"
I thought the bad grammar might be due to her being hard of hearing but clearly I was wrong. Glad I didn’t follow through with this, although I got to the stage of providing my address, which is scary. Hopefully they don’t even live in the US so it won’t be a problem. Freaking me out.
This was from a "James Walter"–
Thanks for your interest in the pet sitting position. My name is James Walter, I’m 47yrs old and I just got transferred to your College from Missouri as an auditor.. My kid is in college as well so I’m moving with just my St Bernard dogs Greg and Sherry.
I’m partially deaf so I will need someone to work 2 days per week for 3 hours daily, someone that loves pets, reliable, attentive, honest and punctual. You will be taking care of two 3 months old dogs for any two days of your choosing every week excluding Sundays and will have to brush their hairs and make them comfortable, they are both very friendly, quiet and obedient, I can handle feeding them but I can’t groom or take them out as much as I’d like to hence why you are needed & you can work for me as long as you want.
I have an upcoming corrective surgery on my ears here in Missouri so my arrival will be on the 16th of July and you can start working that week if it’s convenient for you. I am offering $350 weekly as that’s what I pay the current sitter, extra bonuses will be paid if there are any overtimes. If you are fit for this position and will prove yourself to be a reliable and good person, I’d like to have my former’s employers pay for your first week before my arrival to secure your service in advance and to show commitment on my part .
The following information will be required to make out the check to you;
Full Name –
Residential address – ,
City –
State –
Zip code –
Age –
Phone number –
Days willing to work –
I await to read from you soon.
Warmest regards,
James Walter.
Same thing. Homer Welch. but on pet sitter his name was Jayden. He even attached pictures of his "family" and dog at Disneyland
"Hello How is your day going? Thanks for your response, I am glad to read from you. I am a Father of two, Richard and Sandra, they are 4 years and 2 years respectively.I attended Chicago School for the Deaf where I achieved my highest qualification. I have my own business (Self Employed). I attend the catholic. We are in the process of relocating to your area. I am 38 and I am hard of hearing. I work based on the development and counseling of the deaf people in the community, I am moving to your area in few weeks with my adorable dog and I really need a honest and responsible care for my pet. Gary he is cute and adorable 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 Gary is very favorite activity. he plays well with other dogs too. Gary is house trained and crate trained…. and have contacted a suppliers for the dog Cage, toys, blankets,food,bed.and other things you will care for him starting 11th Of May I will appreciate if you can tell me a few things about yourself and maybe attach one or two pictures of you, below are your duties:
House Sitting,Mail/Newspaper Retrieval,Watering Plants,Pet Sitting/walking,Daily Feeding
This could be a temporary/permanent job. It depends on what your schedule looks like and also i will like you to know the hours are flexible but I do like to be sure if you are available the first month. I made some research on the wages for your service and I have decided to start with $25 per hour and as time goes we can negotiate on a new pay as my dog get along with you. I want to inform you that I have a seminar I will be attending to as soon as I arrive and will be having an interview section with you immediately I arrive with my Dog. Also I will like to include your pay to our payroll for the period just to have you booked down and secure for my Pet. I will be needing the following information below to issue out the check to you and I need your direct mobile number so I can text you in case I need to pass an urgent information:
Full Name:
Address:
Apt:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Phone #:
I have made some arrangements with the dog utility suppliers, so as soon as you get the payment, you will deduct your first week pay and have the rest sent to the dog utility suppliers as soon as the check clears, I hope my Dog will have the best of time while is in your care and I hope you will treat him right just like yours. Get back to me as I have a lot of issue to put in place prior to my arrival. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you and God bless"
Once the gift cards were requested I then googled her name and this article came up.
I was contacted by Naomi Leslie Stivale. Got as far as depositing the check. When I couldnt get a money order to send the "appliance company" I was asked to get gift cards. Red flag and will not be doing anything else.
I was contacted by Naomi Stivale too. How do I get Petsitter.com to remove her post?
I got the same exact scam as simon98, got the bogus credit union check to deposit and deliver in person to a man 2 hours away the money for new appliances that were being installed in the house they would be renting. It was so urgent to get the man this money, could i just cover their check and overnight this man the money for appliances??!! Thought that was odd, so me and the girl at the bank did our research before i lost $2480 out of my bank acct. I was livid!!!!
I just got an email today from a man "Alex Preaches". I am pretty sure I’m being scammed because his story is similar to some of yall. The text message was weird, I never received a message on the actual pet service center itself, it just sent me an email. I then emailed him stating I’m available to walk his dog and he then began saying how he’s from Chicago and will be moving to my area at the beginning of the month. I thought it was odd at first but I asked some questions that didn’t add up just so I can be clear. He stated that I will be getting a check of $2,500+, stating that I will keep $400 and the rest is for the dog suppliers. I then realized its too good to be true. He was asking to meet before I start caring for his dog.
At this point I believe that I have been scammed, I gave him my information and don’t know what to do.
I’ve also been approached by Naomi and her husband… I received the exact same emails. They wanted me to come in February, not March… I wouldn’t give them your information.
Honestly it looked fake to me from the start, but I thought I’d give it a shot and apply to their ad. But it was just red flag after red flag, so I finally decided to look it up. Well, here we are! I’m so disappointed.
I too got in contact with “Naomi Leslie Stivale”. I kept being very suspicious of them and googled their names and reverse image searched the pictures she sent me and that seemed to check out. A website said her husband was a public defender so it made me feel a bit better but I was still uneasy. Well I’m stupid and gave them an address for the check. They originally told me only a couple hundred then when she told me she mailed it, she said $2,800 will be on it. That’s when I looked at her previous emails to me and realized I never googled her full name, just first and last. Then sure enough I find this. THANK GOD because I was so close to falling right into their trap. I feel so dumb but I hope no one else falls for it.
I’ve been approached by a Naomi Leslie Stivale and husband Andy Raul De Souza (supposedly he’s an ttorney. They live in NY and just happen to be relocating to my small town. They follow allong with saying they’re shipping their dogs a day before they arrive, at the end of Feb, so they need me.to go shopping beforehand. Both for the dogs and to help them get some kitchen appliances. Naomi said her husband’s financial clerk will be sending me a certified check, and I’m to deduct $200 for my first week, and use the rest to get dog food and toys etc for their dogs. She said she is 6 mos pregnant and her husnand just got a promotion and is being transferred. She sent me pictures yesterday, of the dogs, and one supposedly of her with one of the dogs, as well as a pic of her husband’s attorney ID (it’s in foreign language).
I’d never heard of these scams….not until the red flags were too hard to ignore yesterday. The job is too good to be true. And that’s the BIGGEST red flag.
I have all of the emails, and i have not yet responded to the one from yesterday askinf for my address, so they can send me a check.
I want it to be true…. yet I know now that it’s a scam. I doubt they live in NY, or even anywhere in the US.
I want to bust them so badly. I’m wondering if i should let them send a check…and see if it ends up being way over $200.
Play along? Or nip this in the bud.
I’m so mad yet disappointed at the same time. I don’t like being scammed, but I’m worried for those who follow through with it!
YES! I looked up phet sitting scams as soon as " mr. Richard Williams" with his wife Veronica and his first son David and they’re very nice golden retriever breed that loves to make friends and likes to make Playmates and they’re out of Canada and will be in the states for 5 to 6 months and talking about their "financier" .. sending me the information regarding the house sometime later and that they will choose an address once I tell them mine… I wanted to know immediately why someone would do this I was extremely confused and now I am even more confused due to the reason being so ridiculous any other imaginary reason to me is ridiculous anyways but there has to be some deeper meaning behind making someone cash those checks and be in debt. The criminal literally seems to get nothing out of it but being plain evil. It is a shame Humanity is so bored that they prey on innocent Homemakers and caretakers just for the fun of it… Thank you for this article!
They will also text you. Not just email. I have gotten this and please do not fall for it.
I am having a similar situation from a lady named Diane Ellis that says her and her husband are moving to my area from Puerto Rico, and she is also offering to pay me $400 a week. She is sending me a check for a much larger amount of money to take care of some arrangements and it’s all just felt pretty weird. I’m pretty sure I’m getting scammed so I will not be depositing that check