The common thread which runs between a new prolific spate of scam posts, is they tug on people’s heartstrings, and they’re all posted in local buy/sell Facebook groups.
You may have seen them pop up in your feed as well-meaning friends share the posts to find the owners of injured dogs (most commonly) or missing people.
On the pet posts, the graphic images are the first red flag, followed by their standard call to action. “Hi all, I’m desperately trying to find the owner of this sweet girl…. Please help bump this post so she can be reunited with her owner/parents.”
The American style language itself and US items in the photos can be a giveaway to its inauthenticity, particularly in the small regional SA towns they post to, but further exploration of the person posting easily confirms it.
The person posting generally only has their profile picture on their newly created profile, and depending on how long they’ve been operating that account for, it’s likely you’ll find angry comments from people who are trying to alert others of the scam.
In addition to the popular pet posts, there are plenty of posts about missing older people with dementia, missing autistic kids, and kids that have been found. There really is no ugly tactic these scammers won’t use.
So what’s the scam?
Asking people to share a fake post is a technique used by scammers to identify people who may be vulnerable to other scam methods.
The scammers are looking for “people who like or share without checking to see if it’s true.” Once someone shares the post, they may then be at an increased risk to be a target for future scams.
Once you and others share the post and it gets enough reach, the scammers edit the text to contain advertising or a malicious link. Alternatively they may message with you (because you’ve now been flagged as susceptible) and start a conversation with a malicious link in the message, or asking for money.
Fact Check!
To see if a post should be trusted, you should always cross-check the claim with another source. If it’s real, it will have most likely been reported by local media or law enforcement.
SA police regularly share missing persons posts, so head there first if it’s relating to a person to see if it’s legitimate.
You can also check if the person who published the post has a Facebook profile or if it’s just been set up to share these scam posts.
If a post has the comments turned off, this is also a red flag that it may be spam as scammers typically turn comments off so people can’t call out their scam attempts.
What can I do about it?
The bottom line is, be aware, and please don’t share the posts. If you have done by mistake, please delete it before others share your post. You can also report the original post.
If you see your friends sharing these posts, also reach out and let them know so they can delete their post before spreading the scam any further.
Finally, whatever you do, don’t click on the links or send them money.
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