A Dundee woman was targeted by scammers after launching an appeal for help to find her missing cat.
Sarah Clark, 31, who lives at City Quay, put up posters and posted on two Facebook groups after Bat went missing on Sunday night.
But scammers used her phone number from the appeals in an attempt to extort money.
A leading consumer group is now warning people to be on their guard as these types of scams are on the rise.
Scammers asked for bank details
Sarah said: “Although we have a cat flap, Bat is very much a stay-at-home cat, so when she went missing we began to worry.
“Bat had been missing a couple of days when someone phoned me claiming to be from Tay Vets.
“They said they had Bat and asked me for £5 and my bank card details and then I would get my cat returned.
“The call came from an anonymous number but initially the person was very convincing.
“However, alarm bells started ringing after the person asked for payment and for my details.”
Sarah contacted the vets who told her the call had not come from them.
She said: “We told the caller we did not believe they were genuine, at which point he got really rude and told us our cat was dead.
“This was really upsetting and concerning. These people are targeting folk when they are upset, vulnerable and emotional over the loss of a beloved pet.
I wasn’t taken in but I want to warn others who have lost pets that this could also happen to them.”
“He had Bat’s details from the poster and adverts that we had put out there.
“I wasn’t taken in but I want to warn others who have lost pets that this could also happen to them.”
Bat has yet to be found.
Nicky Beaton, from the Missing Pets, Dundee and Angus Facebook page, said: “These horrible individuals are exploiting vulnerable heartbroken owners of missing pets for their own gain.
“No vet or rescue group would ever ask for a fee to reunite a found pet.
“We urge owners to never call or text these numbers back. We don’t want anyone to get scammed by these heartless fraudsters.”
Colin Mathieson, spokesperson for Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the national consumer advice service consumeradvice.scot, said: “Unfortunately, we know that heartless scammers will use a variety of methods to target Scots consumers to try to gain personal information, bank details or money.
Expected rise in scams during cost of living crisis
“This includes adapting their tactics and preying on people’s emotions in a bid to exploit them.
“It is important for people to be aware of potential scams – including those like this one that can include missing pets.
“It is expected that there will be a rise in the number of attempted scams during the cost of living crisis.”
Conversation