Prevention

Watch out for scammers!

You have lost your cat: you are distressed, and therefore vulnerable. Scammers may try to take advantage of your situation.

Here are the most common scams, from the most to the least frequent. They are the result of 18 years of experience. At the end of this page, you will also find out what we do to protect you.

Situation 1

You are led to believe that your cat has been found

Someone contacts you claiming to have found your cat. Don't celebrate too soon: it could be a scammer.

The scammer claims to have found your cat, sometimes injured, sometimes even taken abroad. They always have a good reason for not sending you a photo, and then for not being able to hand the animal back in person. They then offer to have it delivered to you, provided you pay the costs upfront. Depending on the case, they may also ask you for:

  • delivery fees;
  • veterinary fees;
  • customs fees;
  • a call to a premium-rate phone number abroad.

These people often write in very poor English.

In another version, the scammer demands a ransom outright. They may even play you the cry of an animal being hit to break you down. Do not respond: it is an attempted scam.

Beware of AI-generated photos.

For some time now, scammers have been using artificial intelligence to create fake photos based on the one in your listing. The cat then looks identical to yours in every respect, but the photo is not real.

Keep one detail secret

When you publish your listing, we advise you to keep one detail of your cat secret (a hidden scar, a spot under the belly...). Now is the time to use it: question the person without revealing anything about that detail. It is up to them to prove that they really have your cat.

In every case, the rule is simple: do not pay anything until you have your cat in front of you.

Situation 2

Psychics, mediums, marabouts and “animal communication”

These people claim they can get in touch with your cat and communicate with it from a distance. These are of course scams: their only goal is to get paid.

Be especially wary of so-called “animal communication”. These scammers are very well organized: they create many fake Facebook profiles to send spam on a large scale.

Situation 3

You are contacted by an online service

Also beware of the many “matchmaking” sites that look legitimate but exploit your distress. They sometimes contact you by SMS. The message then invites you to post your listing on another site or on Facebook, or to call a premium-rate phone number.

Before using a paid pet search service:

  • look for independent reviews on Trustpilot. Some companies offer useful services and keep their promises;
  • do not rely on the reviews displayed on the service's own website: nothing proves they are genuine;
  • check the number of listings published. If it is low, or even zero, walk away.

Also note that the more listings you post on other sites or on Facebook, the more you scatter your efforts, and the harder it is for the community to help you.

The site lost-cat.org is the reference: no. 1 on Google, it is recommended by associations, shelters, police stations, town halls... More than 400,000 listings have been published there, and the community has already exchanged more than two million mutual-aid messages. You can trust them.

No. 1 on Google 400,000+ listings 2 million+ mutual-aid messages
Situation 4

An “expert” calls you

Finally, you may receive calls from people claiming to work for Lost Cat. This is false. The site's webmaster does not contact anyone by phone, and all our emails come only from the address @lost-cat.org.

If in doubt, don't hesitate to contact us: we will look into the situation with you.

How we protect you

Find out about the safeguards in place on lost-cat.org to protect you from scams.

On the internet, some ill-intentioned people may try to take advantage of difficult situations. At lost-cat.org, we take this issue very seriously. Our mission does not stop at putting people in touch: we do everything to ensure a reliable, caring and secure space.

  1. A prevention email after every listing

    As soon as you publish a listing, you receive an information email dedicated to security. It contains:

    • concrete examples of real scams observed on the internet;
    • the warning signs to look out for (offers of money, fake carriers, suspicious messages…);
    • the reflexes to adopt to protect yourself and to report any suspicious behavior.

    Our goal: for every user to be informed before being contacted.

  2. Your email address stays confidential

    We never publish your email address. It is our first protection against this kind of scam: no visitor or user can see it, and we do not share it with partners either.

    Exchanges take place only through our secure forms, without revealing your personal contact details.

  3. Your phone number is hidden by default

    When an internet user views your listing, your phone number does not appear immediately. The user has to take a specific action to reveal it, which helps limit abuse and spam.

    You can also choose not to display your number at all and receive messages only through our internal messaging.

  4. A daily limit on the number of phone numbers that can be viewed

    To prevent mass collection of numbers by malicious people, we have introduced a daily limit on views. A single user cannot access a large number of contacts in one day.

    This protects the community while keeping things running smoothly for genuine users.

  5. Controlled sharing on social networks

    We automatically share your listing on social networks, and we remove it as soon as your cat is found.

  6. A vigilant and supportive community

    If someone still tries to post a fraudulent comment on a listing or on Facebook, our community is watching:

    • members can report any suspicious message immediately;
    • malicious accounts are identified, verified and banned without delay.

    Every report helps strengthen everyone's safety.

Together, let's stay vigilant

Safety is everyone's business. So be wary of messages that reach you from other websites.

Thank you for helping to make lost-cat.org a safe, human and supportive place for mutual aid for 18 years.

Good luck with your search!

In doubt? Contact us