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Security Tips & Awareness
An awareness thing from Lost Pet Alert .Com
It is not our place or our purpose to scare you with everything else that you have going on. We just want to make sure that you are aware of some of these things so you can make intelligent, informed decisions using your own judgment.
First & this is most important, the Internet just like the real world, is filled with all kinds of people. Most, just like in real life, are nice, honest, thoughtful and considerate. And then there are "the others". While not plentiful or even prevalent they are there to make sure your doors are locked even though 99% of the time you could leave them open and never have a problem because one of "the others" had not walked by. Just like good people "others" come in all sexes, ages, shapes, colors, races and sizes. What makes them different and a breed apart is their being "ethically challenged" and motivated solely by their desire to either "put one over on you" or separate you from your hard earned money & possessions.
Our site is done by nice people for nice people and their pets.
We'd like to make a buck while helping people but since we don't ask, nor want, nor accept any contributions, don't charge any lost pet alert listing fees or costs & pay the offered recovery rewards out of our own pockets, this site thus does not have a positive profit oriented business model. ;) True to our industry, overwhelming market share and heavy volume will do nothing to improve that picture. :) Our reward is our satisfaction at helping. When we can.
So, What's Our Point ?
1) When you put up a poster in your neighborhood with your phone # & personal information you take a chance people in your neighborhood will see it. In fact you hope that they will. On the Internet when you put up your phone number & personal information, in theory the whole world can see it. And really, outside of a 10-20 mile radius these long distance nice people can't really help you much if they wanted to aside from their thoughts and suggestions which they might share. Meanwhile "the others" have been given greater access.
Balance your desire to recover your pet quickly and safely with your own personal level of privacy & personal disclosure. We respect that and in fact have structured our Lost Pet Reporting Form, (The epic) so that YOU CHOOSE your own security & privacy comfort level. To reinforce that we don't even ask for your full name or address. We don't need it. We don't want it. Lets Start with your E-Mail address & Phone Number.
2) You want your phone number to be available to people who might find your pet but not to those who may bring further problems to your life. How to stop them ? It's a fact that 11 of 19 Hijackers were screened by security and allowed to board planes. How are we going to know... No answer here. Try using or giving a number that callers can't use to determine if you are home instead of your house phone. Try using your Cell Phone or pager number...What's a few extra non-off-peak minutes compared to your piece of mind.
Or try this approach...Grab a pre-paid Cell Phone that you will use just for this. Don't activate it until you need it...(Otherwise...Your minutes drain away each month whether you use it or not. ) Here's a chance to give YOU an idea and BOOST our Bottom Line. (ad Follows...But Smart Idea though right ??? )
As a courtesy to users we offer and utilize our Toll Free (877) Number at no charge to lost pet owners on your posters along with whatever you authorize BUT, this is not time efficient. This toll free comes in as low priority e-mail to ONE of our main company E-mail accounts. A considerable amount of time could last from the time the person gets your pet, calls, we get the message and make contact with you by e-mail. It helps your security but diminishes your chances of recovering your lost pet. What it also means is we effectively end up screening and forwarding your phone calls...Not a good idea, but we still offer it until it becomes to much of a burden or someone abuses it.
HERE's an ad. But a SMART one. For only $ 2 setup and $ 2 a month Service fee you can have your own toll free number that rings to ANY number you set it too so it moves with you. Click Here to Check Out Toll Free Service Link
3) E-Mail does not pose the security threat that your phone number does. No one is going to e-mail you to see if you are not at home.
But we can tell you from first hand experience that there are a lot of vultures on the internet who use software scripts to scavenge active E-mail accounts so they can sell them to spammers and direct marketing firms. (We, by the way do not do that.) We get tons of spam e-mail addresses to MissingYellowLab@ lostpetalert.com & MissingBlackLab@ lostpetalert.com thanking them for their interest in some product, information or deviant sweaty wrestling act that they supposedly signed up for. Who are they kidding...They are MISSING. If they had an active E-Mail account of their own we would just send then an e-mail and tell them to go home. And We know what account name we use for THOSE kind of inquiries... ;) so it's not us.
Inclusion of spam blockers like this MissingYellowLab@ (REMOVETHISSPAMBLOCK)lostpetalert.com sometimes help a little but confuse the heck out of some people who need to contact and use us. So if people can't e-mail us what good is your address. Well, WE NEED IT to get and stay in contact with you. We can and will do followups with other tips & suggestions and to see if your pet has been recovered.
What to do...You can get a "throwaway" E-Mail address like Hotmail or Yahoo but then you still have to check it regularly for messages about your pet while sorting through your new found spam. It does however help keep your SPAM down on your main E-mail user account. We would suggest that. Most are free.
3) The "Found Your Pet" paid a lot of vet bills send me a check scam.
If you are contacted by someone who claims to have found your pet and will release them subject to a hefty check payment first for paid vet bills. The correct response is "I Don't think so." Maybe, you'd want to explore it a little first...What Vet ? Where ?.
Rest assured they don't have your pet...ask them to put them on the phone if you feel the need to sleep comfortable with that out of your mind.
View this like a ransom in a kidnapping. You get pet. You pay reward. If they paid bills because your pet was injured when they found them ..yes,, you have a moral obligation to reimburse...But offer to pay the vet directly..at least they are licensed.
Not sure, got that funny feeling about the whole thing...Pet napping for ransom is a lucrative low risk business. Unlike kids...whose gonna tell ? "Arfff... Arfffff.. Him..! ".will not be admissible even on Judge Judy (TM)
4) Rewards Benefits & Risks
Offering a reward CAN help motivate people to get your pet back...Offering a substantial reward can really motivate people but some of them might be approaching it from the wrong point of view and we DO NOT recommend or publicize the amount if it is substantial.
Having offered a substantial reward and gotten your pet back you run the further risk of him/her disappearing again....this time with help. Be careful you don't unintentionally turn yourself and your pets disappearance into a growth industry. In our experience while the reward may motivate honest people to help look for your pet in most cases people will decline to accept it and are more then glad to see your happiness at getting your pet back. People honestly DO want to help you. It adds something positive to their lives.
If you are offering a substantial award and get contacted you should always take proper precautions. Bring someone like an off-duty Police Officer friend. Bring your cell phone. Have the meeting in an appropriate public place like town hall. Bring a camera. If you have the slightest hint that things are not what they seemed make it a "Kodak moment" (SM) with the suspicious "rescuer" posing with Fluffy or Rover. It will look good on your mantle and one for your records just in case. Don't take chances if you get the slightest hint something is up. Follow your instincts.
To follow that line of logic pay attention to strange cars in your neighborhood if you are in a low traffic area or those that act suspiciously or go by repeatedly if you are not. Get a plate # and save it. Try to make these "Kodak Moments" (SM) too. You may be identifying or preventing a petnapper from operating freely.
This is the control your own destiny security section. God put many kinds of people on this earth. Most are good. Some aren't. Believe what you want it is simply a fact. Leave your doors unlocked on your house or your car and sooner or later one of them will find you. If they had been locked maybe they would have "passed over" you and brought their misfortune to someone else or thought better of it and not stolen anything from anyone at all.
It is the same with your pets if you let them run loose. Your ignorance is compounded even more if you let them run loose with NO proof of Identity or ID Tag, It gets compounded again once more for them being unlicensed. In this state within 5 days of being brought to a shelter your family member can 1) be killed, 2) be sent to another shelter anywhere in the country to save its life, 3) can be adopted out to a new family leaving you with NO legal right of recovery or ownership EVEN if you should find them. Shelters save NO RECORDS of past placements so if you miss them they are gone with no possibility of recovery. Pet security means keeping your pet confined and in possession of ID to aid in its recovery.
Stolen Pets- We often get reports of several pets within a given area disappearing around the same time... Sometimes it is that time of the season to get restless. Many times pets are stolen for sale to animal labs that use them to study various diseases and medicines. Many times on pricier breeds they are resold to new owners who don't know that this pet was your family member. Sometimes they are stolen to use in "religious ceremonies" including sacrifice by certain non-mainstream religious groups or simply deranged individuals. Others are used to fight for their life by certain ethnic and cultural groups in bloody ghoulish dogfighting rings while others bet on how long your pet will live.
Please...PLEASE...take the first security steps...Your pet can't cry out for help so you, its owner have to be just a little smarter. Make sure your pet is confined. Make sure your pet has proper ID. Make sure your pet is properly licensed. All of these things help reduce the chances of your Dog or Cat being stolen and sold, tortured or killed. None are more effective then a simple collar with an ID Tag and owners information. For security it is best NOT to include your last name, address or actual HOME phone since this can be used to find out when you are home by simply abducting your dog. Use your cellphone, work number or get one of our toll free lines for $ 2 a month to use and put this on their ID tag or collar.
Assist your local law enforcement by reporting suspicious behavior, persons or activities. If they won't help go to someone else who will. If you get nowhere contact your local political representatives and seek action.
If you witness an animal being taken, it may be a good samaritan picking them up off a highway to save them from being run down. It could also be an a pet stealer who sells to labs or dog fighting rings. If it is safe to do so get a license plate number and description and provide it to your local Police Department. Let us know. We will post such activity so that pet owners in the area can be aware of it in case their pet disappears. We can always sort out the good deed from the pet thief later. If you have a camera and you see suspicious activity document it. If they are honest people they won't care. If they care....well...you can fill in the blanks....
These tips are suggestions only. Consult with your local Police, Sheriffs Office or Private security specialists for items that may be going on in your area. Good Neighbors are the best security there is. We are all in this together. Pay attention. Don't be bashful about reporting or documenting unusual or suspicious behavior. It may not mean anything at the time but if it problem occurs later you will have details that can be used to assist in solving the crime or tracking down the perpetrators. Never compromise your own personal safety by taking any direct action. That is what your local Police are there to do.