As the trail goes cold in the disappearance of Tucker’s now-favorite missing pet named Jasper, the number of people trying to scam his owners is growing.
Jasper – a tiny terrier that bolted from his owners’ yard in Tucker on July 3 during the city’s fireworks show, which is under investigation by DeKalb County Police – remains missing.
The seven-year-old, 12-pound terrier was spooked during the finale of the town’s fireworks show and escaped from Carmen Gutierrez and Hartford Campbell’s front yard. Dragging his leash, Jasper ran across two major roadways to the LaVista Road Walmart. Several people tried to capture the fast-running, elusive dog, but failed.
Video surveillance cameras showed an unidentified couple leaving on foot with the dog from the Walmart parking lot, Campbell said.
Campbell said he and Gutierrez have received more than 25 calls from people claiming to have Jasper since they posted flyers around town offering a reward for information that would lead to his safe return.
“They were trying to get my bank information and trying to verify who I am,” he said. “The scam has gotten very sophisticated. One or two seemed legitimate, but after following up, they were fake too.”
About 10 of the scammers used text messages to try to lure the couple into revealing information before they send pictures of the dog.
According to a DeKalb County Police incident report, one caller demanded $2,000 for Jasper’s safe return, but dropped out of sight after the owners refused to pay that amount.
Campbell and Gutierrez are now posting a fresh group of posters around town and have friends scouring local shelters for the dog, whom they describe as frail and in need of regular medication.
“it’s the hardest thing living without Jasper,” Campbell said.
