Lost dog's owner says man tried to scam her out of reward

ROSWELL, Ga. — A woman said her search for her missing dog nearly made her the victim of a scam artist.

Tricia Lowe, of Roswell, told Channel 2’s Carl Willis that someone tried to claim the reward without handing over the missing dog.

"I just want my little Theo back. I want my little dog back," Lowe told Willis.

She said she has been in mourning and the hope that her lost dog will return soon ended with her being targeted by a scammer.

Lowe said her terrier disappeared on March 6. She posted fliers on yard stakes in her Roswell neighborhood and posted online.

That's where she believes she caught the attention of someone who wanted the generous reward but didn't actually have her dog.

"I should have nipped it in the bud in the first 30 seconds, but I guess you do get caught up," Lowe said. "I was completely, emotionally involved but I’m not going to let someone scam me."

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Lowe said a man contacted her and set up a meeting at a nearby CVS, instructing her to buy PayPal Cash Now cards.

Lowe said she entertained the idea at first.

"Then he tried to get me to call and see if it was pending and so I went along with him for a while and said, ‘You're holding my dog hostage?’"

She knew this wasn't right and decided to get the police involved.

When the man called back, an officer got on the phone to confront him.

"He said someone came and got the dog. It was a misunderstanding of the wrong dog," Lowe told Willis.

Lowe said she never would have handed over money without seeing her dog, but she's warning those who may be in the same vulnerable position.

She said it was important for her to make this story public.

"To at least let him know that we're on to him," Lowe said.

Cox Media Group