A Colorado woman says she nearly fell victim to a scam preying on pet owners' desperation.

Dominique Norton says her cat, Inky, vanished from her Aurora home near 11th and Nucla Street on Sept. 22. The 2-year-old black cat is microchipped, and Norton has been posting flyers and sharing her information on social media in hopes someone would find her. Then came the call.

Dominique Norton and Inky Dominique Norton

"He said he was from Aurora Animal Hospital," Norton said. "He told me someone found Inky a block from our house, that she'd been hit by a car and needed emergency surgery."

The caller, who used a "No Caller ID" number, asked Norton to verify the last four digits of Inky's microchip and quickly pushed for payment.

He claimed the surgery would cost $3,000, but if she used a pr

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