SAT . They took all our money and we still had no dog’: Lost pet scammer strikes in North Salt Lake
NORTH SALT LAKE, Davis County (ABC4) — The silver lining is that the little chihuahua “Bambi-Ann” is back home with her family, but not without them getting scammed of $650.
Christy Rhodes and Steve, North Salt Lake, lost Bambi-Ann back on October 24th. In their desperation to find their beloved pet they posted flyers all over the valley and had friends post them on social media. Admittingly, the both say they aren’t tech savvy and were quite vulnerable.
Steve says, “I hadn’t smiled since she’s been gone… She’s like our child.”
Rhodes received a call while at work from a man claiming to be a “Dr. Michael Lane” claiming Bambi-Ann was found after being hit by a car. He says she needed surgery and they needed to pay $650 before coming to get her. Which they did via a transfer at the local Walgreens after being convinced that since it was Veterans Day that banks wouldn’t be open
The voicemail:
This “Michael Lane” had every detail. He said Bambi-Ann was struck near Odell Lane, a street just down the road from them. He even named a neighbor that lives close by as the person that found her. Rhoades and Steve so desperate to find their sweet dog that they were in a position to believe it all.
They followed through on every request. Steve detailed, “He gave us the information, and we got some money together and sent it to him. Went out to get the dog after surgery and there was no such vet, no such thing.”
Rhodes described, “I was so devastated when we got to the vet office and we didn’t have Bambi-Ann. Almost had a breakdown right there. You know, I mean, to think that they that they took all our money and we still had no dog, you know, and now we’re broke.”
The $650 described as their “bill money.” A big hit to them for the month. Steve explained, “We live month to month and we actually had to get some help this month before I got scammed.”
A quick search of “Michael Lane” and several hits popped up across social media. Different families across the country posting about their missing animals and adding information about odd phone calls they received from the so-called “Dr. Lane.”
Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida just to name a few. Here are some of those posts:
This so-called “Michael Lane” left a call back number for Christy and Steve, so, we gave it a call. Here’s the full conversation:
North Salt Lake Police confirmed they have an open case to investigate this alleged scam. ABC4 providing the information gathered to aid the investigation. A fundraiser has been started for Christy and Steve.
