You can’t outsmart Duane “Dog” Chapman! Recently, the Dog’s Most Wanted star found himself as the would-be victim in an elaborate scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from him. Luckily, he didn’t fall prey to the plot. As it turns out, the bounty hunter was able to see right through the scam and call it out for what it is. And he did it all while keeping his $250,000 in the bank.

Apparently, the drama started when an email that claimed to be sent from the office of the United Arab Emirate’s prime minister offered to pay Dog $430,000 for a speaking engagement at a convention in Dubai. It seemed like a strange offer considering that the only communications the reality star’s team had with the convention was over email, but the star decided to see where things go. When the scammers started asking for Dog’s personal bank account info, though, it became clear it wasn’t legit — despite a real check for $430,000 showing up at his literary agent’s office.

Duane Dog Chapman on Red Carpet
Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Thankfully, the blond bounty hunter, 66, was able to get to the bottom of everything. He and his team verified the check, but also discovered that the charity was asking for a $250,000 donation to be taken from the funds. Once Dog made the donation, the money he’d been paid would’ve disappeared from his account, leaving him a quarter of $1 million poorer. “Out of all the people in the world, can you believe they tried to scam the Dog?” a spokesperson for the star told In Touch. “Crooks sure are dumb!”

The star hasn’t taken to social media to call out the scammers — at least, not yet — but he has been vocal on Twitter about another crime perpetrated against him and his family. On August 1, he shared a report that revealed someone had burglarized his store in Colorado, and they even took some of Beth Chapman‘s personal items. “The Bible says it is an unforgivable sin to steal from the dead,” he wrote on Twitter, advertising a “large cash reward” for anyone who had info on the crime. He’s also shut down other scammers who are asking for money on the family’s behalf.

It seems like the star has enough on his plate lately, and we’re hoping he gets some peace so that he can focus on his family instead of having to suss out bad guys even when he’s not out on a chase.

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