Police: Winchester Man lured woman to home using pet sitting website

WINCHESTER, Ky. (WKYT) - Winchester police say a man lured a woman to his home using a pet-sitting site.

Police say 33-year-old Timothy Ruby used a dog-sitting website to lure a woman to his apartment. When she was inside, they say he locked the deadbolt behind her.

According to the arrest citation, Ruby tried to get his arms around the woman. She was able to stop him and called the police.

When the police arrived, Ruby admitted his intentions were to have sex with the woman.

Ruby has been charged with unlawful imprisonment.

Now, those with the Better Business Bureau have a warning for others.

“If you are someone looking for work, there are lots of work-from-home and employment scams out there,” said Heather Clary with the Better Business Bureau. “In fact, it peaked at number two on the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker Report in 2022.”

Clary says most of these scams are used to trick people out of money. This situation could have turned into something much worse.

“Now, in this case, they ended up meeting in a private residence. BBB advises people to meet in a public place if you can. Whatever the job may be, it will be safer for both parties,” said Heather Clary.

You can also vet a business you might be interested in using or working for through the Better Business Bureau. They can inform you about a company’s policies, background check procedures and more.

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