The Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare has received reports of fraudulent text and social media messages to the public from persons claiming to represent Animal Welfare staff. These messages are being targeted to citizens with lost pets, claiming their pet has been brought to the shelter and asking for money in order to retrieve the pet or asking for access to their virtual assistant devices. These messages are not legitimate and are not associated with Escambia County and the Department of Animal Welfare.
Animal Welfare staff will never ask for funds to be sent digitally to redeem a pet or access to a personal item. Redemption fees will be calculated at the time of redemption and paid in person. A list of animal welfare service fees is available here.
If your pet is missing, please check 24petconnect.com under your zip code and the “Escambia County Florida Animal Services” location. Please visit the shelter in person to identify your missing pet. The shelter is located at 200 W. Fairfield Drive and open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Anyone who has received a scam text message, call or other form of communication should report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Visit https://reportfraud.ftc.gov to report scams or fraud to the FTC online.
