FLORIDA – A determined woman trying to find her missing cat is claiming that a man tried to hold the pet for ransom.
“It’s heartbreaking because every phone call is hope,” stated pet owner Jan, who only gave her first name.
Police stated the man tried to rip off more than one victim for hundreds of dollars.
Jan said to Channel 9 about the elaborate steps the man took, trying to convince her he was in possession of her missing cat, Pluto.
Two Volusia County pet owners put up fliers, and also went on social media in the hopes that someone would help find their pet. However, instead, they found a man who tried to harass and scam them.
“Pluto is around 6 years old. We had him for four years,” stated Jan.
Jan stated she has been searching for her cat since late last month. There have been several sightings of Pluto, but none of them panned out.
One day, Jan got a very suspicious call.
“And it sounded suspicious right away. So I didn’t trust him off the bat. It was a phone number out of California, and he played with me that day and I just ignored him,” Jan stated.
Jan said the man left several messages on her phone, making these comments, “You want me to take the cat to the animal hospital and like, leave it? My friend is like, ‘Unless you come get it or meet you somewhere.’”
The man also sent her several messages and even texted her, saying the cat was locked in the trunk of his car, Jan said.
She said the man also messaged her and instructed her to “Go get a Paypal and my cash card from CVS. Soon as you get it, call me, and I will break the window and take a picture of him.”
The man sent her a photo that he claimed showed Pluto, but she never bought into any of it.
“Oh, he’s toying with me. He thinks he is smarter than everybody else, and he’s the stupidest one amongst us all,” she stated.
According to the incident report, an Edgewater woman whose cat is also currently missing received similar calls and texts. Some texts were sexual in nature.
Jan says she hopes karma catches up with the man.
“Let’s just say I would like to get him myself,” stated Jan.
Authorities said that it might be difficult to track the man down because he was using an untraceable cell phone.
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