A Colorado canine sitter employed by a well-liked app stole a half-million {dollars} price of irreplaceable jewellery from certainly one of her shoppers — promoting $30,000 of it to pawn outlets who melted it down, police stated.
The sufferer, who declined to present her identify for security causes, advised CBS Colorado that she met the alleged thief, Azure Foster, 36, on the favored canine strolling app Rover.
“She dog sat for us a couple times and eventually we started using her just to come to the house and water the plants,” the girl stated.
Foster took gadgets piecemeal over a number of months, the sufferer stated, within the hopes of avoiding detection. Months glided by earlier than the home-owner observed that her treasured gadgets had been lacking.
“She stole diamond necklaces, diamond tennis bracelets,” the girl advised the outlet.
“There had been no break-ins, no unusual people at the house,” she added.
The sufferer contacted police and investigators had been capable of observe the devious canine walker down by pawn outlets. They poured over transaction information that comprise fingerprints and pictures, detectives advised Colorado CBS.
Foster allegedly pawned roughly $30,000 of stolen jewellery, detectives stated.
A few of the items had been certainly one of a sort and can’t be purchased once more, in keeping with court docket information.
Police arrested Foster and charged her with felony theft. She couldn’t be reached by The Submit.
Foster’s subsequent court docket look is in July. She had no felony prison historical past in Colorado, in keeping with a database search.
A consultant for Rover known as the theft “shocking” and stated Foster’s profile was faraway from the app after studying of the accusations.
“They have not been able to offer care through Rover,” Dave Rosenbaum stated. “Should we be contacted by law enforcement, we’ll work with them to the fullest extent of our ability.”
Rosenbaum added that each one sitters who be part of Rover — which additionally gives doggie day care, boarding and home sitting — should go an “enhanced background check.”
Greater than two million “pet parents” throughout 17 international locations have booked care by Rover because it was launched in 2011, in keeping with its web site.
Regionally, requests for canine walkers within the metropolis spiked final fall as increasingly more staff had been compelled to return to workplaces and wanted to outsource their canine care to apps and corporations, The Submit reported in October.
“People being in the office, they need walks or day care,” Lauren Michelson, a canine walker for Rover, stated. “I’ve received maybe 40% more [requests].”
That squared with knowledge from Rover itself. Bookings for canine walkers in NYC, which vary in value from $10 as much as $250 per stroll, spiked 25% from July by September 2024 year-over-year.
