Dogs romp this summer at the Cranberry Rotary Dog Park. County officials are warning residents to beware of online scams to charge them for bogus licenses. The county's dog licenses cost between $6.50 and $8.50, but one scammer tricked multiple people into paying $25.50 per dog license.

County officials Thursday echoed warnings of online licensing scams.

“Just yesterday somebody called us and said they were waiting to receive their dog license,” said Diane Marburger, Butler County treasurer. “We had no record of them.”

In a news release Wednesday, Attorney General Josh Shapiro issued a warning to state residents applying for and buying hunting, fishing and pet licenses.

Shapiro called for residents to report suspicious websites to his office's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

“Pennsylvanians should stay vigilant for scammers who are fishing for their personal data with these fake application sites,” Shapiro said.

The county's dog licenses cost between $6.50 and $8.50, but one scammer tricked multiple people into paying $25.50 per dog license.

“If they have a couple dogs, they're paying a whole pile more than they need to,” Marburger said. “They think they're really in the right place, and they're not.”She said her office first came across the scam in November, and it has come and gone from focus a number of times.According to Marburger, the best way people can protect themselves is to go directly through either the county's office or website or a state site with the “.gov” domain name.“Go to the county webpage,” Marburger said. “Come directly into the county treasurer, and then you're at the right place.”Dog license purchases have been on the decline. Marburger said her department has issued about 1,000 fewer licenses since last year. She said the pandemic has kept people from applying and it has put a temporary halt to enforcement, but that enforcement will eventually continue.She said she recommends all dog owners in the county get a license for their dog.“It's a very inexpensive way to protect your dog if it runs off,” Marburger said.For pet licenses, visit the county website at www.butlercountypa.gov; for fishing licenses, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission at www.fishandboat.com; and for hunting licenses, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission at www.pgc.pa.gov.For further information about licensing, call the Butler County Treasurer's office at 724-284-5149.

Dogs romp this summer at the Cranberry Rotary Dog Park. County officials are warning residents to beware of online scams to charge them for bogus licenses. The county’s dog licenses cost between $6.50 and $8.50, but one scammer tricked multiple people into paying $25.50 per dog license.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle