A South Florida homeowner says he was stunned when a letter arrived accusing one of his dogs of attacking a neighbor and causing serious injuries.
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But he told NBC6 it was all fake.
Harley Aronoff, a dog owner who describes his two Yorkies and golden retriever as friendly animals, said the letter came from a local attorney who claimed to represent a neighbor injured in an alleged dog attack.
“I knew that it wasn’t me,” Aronoff said.
Aronoff says he called the attorney listed on the notice of claim and he told him that the client had reported being severely injured by a dog. The attorney also shared graphic photos claiming they show his client’s injuries, along with a $200,000 settlement agreement that was supposedly signed by Aronoff.
But Aronoff said he had never agreed to such a settlement.
“I’ve never entered into a settlement agreement for $200,000 because of the dog bite, so I knew that there was something wrong with some sort of scam,” he said.
NBC6 Responds did a reverse image search of the injury photographs and quickly found the images were not connected to Aronoff or his dogs. They appeared in a 2015 news article about a brutal dog attack in England.
The attorney told NBC6 he ultimately dropped the client after becoming suspicious himself, because he could not produce a police or animal control report documenting the attack. The person also repeatedly made excuses for why he could not speak by phone, including claiming he was working on a cargo ship overseas, according to the attorney.
Cinthya Lavin with the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida said the scheme appears to combine several familiar fraud tactics, including the use of professional services and counterfeit checks.
“So, a scam of trying to use a professional service to be able to collect money from them is really unique,” Lavin said.
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Lavin said scammers can attempt to use a law firm as a middleman to pressure an unsuspecting victim into making a payment.
The Florida Bar previously warned its members about a similar scheme involving fake injury claims and counterfeit checks. The organization advised attorneys to independently verify claims before taking action on unexpected, high-value settlements.
Lavin said consumers should resist pressure to immediately send money or provide financial information when they receive an unexpected demand.
“It is very important for anyone receiving solicitations that they’re not very familiar with or that they’re not expecting to do some thorough research before feeling pressured and immediately going to pay,” she said.
She says people who receive a letter alleging an incident involving their home, vehicle, pet or insurance should independently verify the information before making any payment.
Aronoff said he is sharing his experience so other homeowners recognize the warning signs and do not fall victim to a similar scheme.
“And my poor dog, you know, being accused of something pretty vicious,” Aronoff said. “I thought it was certainly important that people were aware of it and people protected themselves and people didn’t fall for any kind of scam like this,” Aronoff said.
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