LA woman targeted by scammer who lied about having her missing dog

MONTEREY HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A heartbroken woman whose dog went missing from her Monterey Hills home is warning other pet owners not to fall for scammers who claim they have their beloved missing pet.

"If you lose your animal, and you're in that emotional state, before you jump and you pay somebody money, wait and see that they have your animal first," said Gabby Silvi.

Silvi's 1-year-old Belgian malinois named Whiskey went missing after gardeners left a gate open at her home.

After posting missing flyers around the neighborhood, she says somebody reached out.

"I got a text message from an email address, they said, 'Are you looking for your dog? I think I found her,' and they sent me a picture and it looked exactly like her," said Silvi.

Desperate to have her dog back, Silvi said she initially didn't ask too many questions when she was instructed to meet at a nearby Dollar Tree.

"I pulled into the parking lot, texted that I was there and then from that moment I got a little weirded out because they asked for $200, and they wanted me to Zelle them $100 right then and then I could Zelle them the rest when they brought the dog over," SIlvi said.

"I sent the payment, because I wanted to see my dog," she added.

Silvi said the scammer sent more photos of a dog that appeared to be hers, while also asking for more money.

"He then asked me to go inside the Dollar Tree store and get him a $200 gift card, and at that point, something just clicked," said Silvi. "I looked at my son and I said 'I don't think I'm going to get her back today'".

Out of her money and still without her dog, Silvi said she hopes to lure Whiskey back in by scent, leaving a sock and a shirt draped on her fence.

"It's just sad, I'd really like her back," she said.

Silvi says she called her bank and asked them to investigate the Zelle payments and is working on filing a police report.

She said her dog is microchipped and can be easily identified if taken to the Humane Society or a veterinary clinic.

Meantime, she hopes her story will prevent other pet owners from falling victim to similar scams.