Sasha's Pet Resort: Beware of Doggy Daycare Scams!
Sasha's Pet Resort
Sasha's Pet Resort: Nothing infuriates me more than the cowardly scams of these low-lifes. Hopefully karma will infiltrate their homes, yards and nostrils with rivers of runny dog poop! They figure their anonymity is secure since everything is perpetuated online, but eventually their own stupidity will trip them up!
This is the cause of my angst as I urge God to deploy instant karma. Like many of you, I’m plenty busy keeping my head above water as we care for our local dogs. Love ‘em. But scrambling to pay rent this month. Apparently, an ad was posted on NextDoor seeking places to board dogs in Redmond, Kirkland and Bellevue. I suggested Sasha’s Pet Resort, of course.
So that evening I receive a text message from a “Dorathy”. My first red flag should have been the fact she/he/it didn’t know how to correctly spell her first name! Second red flag should have been the fac t that this was sent to me at 10 pm PST! Likely sent from Kumquat, Nigeria or Scamcity, India during their office hours!
This was her message:
Dear,
My name is Dorathy, and I am writing to inquire about your availability for caregiving and pet sitting services. My husband, Gary, and I are currently moving from Merritt island because he was recently promoted and transferred for work to Redmond, WA, US, 98052 area. We are easy-going, kind people who love to laugh, and we are looking for someone to help provide care and look after our dog.
Please let me know if you would be interested in discussing this further. I look forward to hearing from you and do let me have your contact information to text directly. That would be better because I recently just had vocal cord paralysis surgery.
Best regards,
Sent by ~ Dorathy Marie Cockerham | Procurement Head
Note her close indicating that text is best means of communication because she recently had “vocal cord paralysis surgery.” How convenient. Everything can now be coordinated via text.
After I agreed to board Chunk (who in the hell came up with that name when he weighed in at only 17 pounds?)
DorAthy continued to text me:
Please actually I don’t have the vaccines shots here with me right now because we are in the middle of relocating and please I’ll get all for you later on okay “our dog Chunk will be arriving to the city before us and won’t be available for a meet and greet but I promise you that his a very calm dog and his just a puppy, you know puppy just likes to play lol and we would need you to watch him and if you can walk and board him and feed him for just a week before we arrive I will like to know your price for that week, he will be arriving by 25th till on the 2nd March. Just let me know your costs? What will be your total cost for that week?,
$363 with tax I told her.
Another late evening text from her:
Let me know if you got this email. I attached the E.T.A too and the check payment you will just make a mobile check deposit In case you are not familiar with a mobile check deposit.
1. Print out both the front and back of the check on a regular paper. Write your name and Endorse at the back of the check.
2. Login to your Bank Mobile app.
3. Click on deposit check.
4. Take a picture of the front and back of the check making sure all edges of the check appear in the picture.
5. Submit.
You will receive a confirmation email or a page showing the deposit.
Thanks so much Dan.
That night in bed I began to grow suspicious. The mobile check she told me to deposit was actually for $900, certainly much more than the $363 I quoted her. She said the extra was for hotels and food. We have no hotels and the food was maybe $30. The next morning I queried Perplexity about this scenario. They indicated the core of this scam is the “overpay” since Dorathy will soon ask me to Zelle or Venmo the extra back to them before my bank discovers that the check I mobile deposited was a fraud. Their advice was to discontinue contact with DorAthy and not to open any of their attachments.
That I did. And I haven’t heard back from them since and Chunky never arrived! Poor guy!
According to a customer of ours, she was similarly scammed when she was trying to sell bedroom furniture. Thus, this scam is both evergreen and multi-categorical and can be used on anyone for any product/service category. So tread carefully. There’s always someone out there trying to pick your pocket. Best Dan