Someone wants a gift card to return my lost pet, is this a scam
Use the free tool — Lost Pet Kit
Yes — this is almost certainly a scam
Anyone who asks you to pay by gift card or wire transfer to "return" your pet is running a scam. Real finders don't need payment upfront, and they can prove they have your pet.
The two scams to ignore
- Anyone demanding money by gift card or wire to "return" the pet.
- Fake "pet flight recovery" services calling from out of state.
Never pay anyone who cannot send a current photo of the pet. A real finder will happily send a photo — a scammer will make excuses.
What a real finder looks like
A genuine finder can describe the pet, send a current photo, and usually just wants to reunite you — no payment demanded. If someone refuses to send proof, stop responding and report the number to local police if you can.
Where to actually report and search
- Petco Love Lost — free national lost-pet photo-match registry — post the moment you're home. lost.petcolove.org
- 24petconnect — aggregates shelter intake listings in much of the US — check it daily. 24Petconnect
- AAHA universal chip lookup — one lookup covers most microchip registries at once. Universal chip lookup
Most lost dogs and many lost cats are recovered. Filing with these registries — and calling shelters directly — is what actually works, not paying a stranger.
If your pet is in immediate danger
If you see a pet in immediate danger, call your local animal control now. Never meet a "finder" who demands payment first.
Lost Pet Kit gives general search guidance; it can be wrong and no outcome is guaranteed. Verify local shelter and animal-control contacts. Nothing you type is stored.
What to do next
Answer four quick questions about your pet — species, time missing, microchip status, and a few details. The free tool reads your own information and gives you an hour-by-hour search plan, poster wording that gets calls, and every registry and shelter to contact — with the scams flagged clearly — in English or Spanish.
Lost Pet Kit gives general search guidance; it can be wrong and no outcome is guaranteed. Verify local shelter and animal-control contacts. Nothing you type is stored.