Animal welfare organizations report fake Venmo accounts stealing donations

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCTV) - Local animal welfare organizations took to social media over the weekend to warn community members that well-intended donations may have been stolen by scammers.

Operation Wildlife warned donors on Friday, May 30, that a spam account has been created to steal the organization’s donations. The scammer registered a Venmo similar to OWL’s with a fake handle. Other accounts have been flagged since the original was discovered and members are working with Venmo to shut them down.

A day later, the Lawrence Humane Society also warned community members that a fake Venmo account had requested payments through email and directly on Venmo. The shelter has warned that it will never send requests like this.

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