Dognappers are posing as charity workers to target the homes of people with expensive pets in a sinister new tactic.
Dog owners warn that heartless pet snatchers are tagging homes with dogs by leaving fake collection bags on doorsteps so colleagues know which homes to visit later.
The alert was raised by residents in Uckfield, Sussex who noticed a man leaving British Heart Foundation donation bags on driveways before talking to a colleague in a waiting pickup truck.
But the suspect only left collection bags at houses with dogs and ignored ones without them.
The British Heart Foundation said it does not leave collection bags on doorsteps and warned people to be on their guard against fake charity workers.
What is your view? Have your say in the comments section
Tonight Sarah Marshall, Head of Retail Service at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: “We are concerned to learn of this incident as we no longer distribute donation bags to doorsteps.
“Whilst our shops remain closed we’d encourage our supporters to use our freepost donation service or by dropping donations off at their local shop once we reopen.”
One resident in Manor Park Uckfield told Sussex Crimewatch: “A scruffy bald man walked around our cul-de-sac holding a Heart Foundation donation bag. He walked all around, threw the donation bag on our drive and walked off.
“He was then seen talking to a guy in a silver truck who drove up and around looking at our house.
“We are the only house he threw a bag on and are the only house with dogs,
“We are treating this as being targeted and a new trick is a donation bag on the drive.”
The resident said the suspect was also seen using a similar tactic in another road.
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: ‘We urge people to report any suspicious behaviour to us, no matter how small they may consider it to be. All the information we receive helps us build a picture of what is happening in our communities.’
Recently it was reported that dog thieves have been dressing up as fake RSPCA inspectors with white vans to grab pets.
Ten dogs a day are being stolen in the UK leaving families devastated, according to animal charities.
The pandemic lockdown has prompted the worst year ever for dog thefts as walkers, kennels, gardens and homes are targeted.
Lady Gaga’s bouncer was shot in the chest four times and her two French Bulldogs taken in the US this week.
The dog theft epidemic in the UK follows a massive rise in puppy prices.
People are being ‘gazumped’ for puppies with some now paying up to £4,000 for a pet.
Missing pets website ‘Dogs Lost’ reported a 170 per cent increase in the number of dogs missing across the UK since the start of the pandemic.
Debbie Matthews from Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance estimates ten dogs a day are being snatched.
Sir Bruce Forsyth’s daughter said: "We would advise people to take pictures of any new marks or plastic tags and contact the police. And once reported, remove any suspicious markings outside their homes."
Previous news reports said dog thieves were leaving chalk marks on pavements to indicate homes with dogs worth stealing.
Supposedly, red chalk marks are used to indicate large dogs worth stealing, while yellow and pink marks refer to medium and small dogs, respectively.
Durham police said at the time: “It is believed that these markings, letters or symbols may be used by thieves to identify houses containing dogs with a view to stealing them at a later date.
“We would encourage all dog owners to pay attention to their properties and report any such instances to the police as well as taking extra care when walking their pets as to who is watching them enter their property.”
However, some of these markings may be confused with the “Da Pinchi Code” symbols - a series of shapes and scribbles which was widely reported to be used by thieves to mark out homes worth breaking into.
