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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 7, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bait and switch, Facebook ( 178 ), found child, missing child, missing person ( 8 ), Scams ( 1,366 ), social media ( 79 )   

  Fake posts about the missing and found children 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In the digital age, social media platforms like Facebook have become prime targets for scammers looking to exploit users’ emotions and trust. Recently, two types of fraudulent posts have been making the rounds: one featuring a missing elderly woman holding a Yoda toy and the other showing ‘found child’ images. Both scams aim to manipulate users into sharing the posts, ultimately serving malicious purposes.

  The missing elderly woman scam involves posts about a woman with dementia, often seen holding a Yoda toy, circulating across Facebook, primarily in local buy-and-sell groups. These posts claim that the woman appeared at the poster’s house, supposedly taking the toy from their child. Each post urges users to flood their feeds to help find her family. However, these posts are nothing more than a bait-and-switch scam. The locations mentioned in these posts, such as Surprise, Arizona, and Cagliari, Italy, are inconsistent, which is a hallmark of such scams. A reverse image search reveals that the photo has been circulating since at least 2020, with different captions, none indicating the woman is missing. Scammers initially lure users with an emotional appeal, then change the post to contain links to malicious sites or deceptive rental ads.

  Similarly, the found child scam involves false posts appearing on Facebook, as warned by the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) in Arkansas. These posts use fake images of distressed or injured children, asking the public for help in sharing the post. Despite attempts to report them, many of these posts remain active due to Facebook’s reporting system limitations. Scammers aim to gather likes and shares, boosting their profiles through Facebook’s algorithms. By turning off comments, they prevent users from exposing the truth about the posts. Such posts cause unnecessary alarm and distress, prompting police to urge the public not to share them.

  To protect yourself, verify the credibility of the source before sharing any post about missing persons or found children. Check the poster’s profile for any red flags, such as recently created accounts or inconsistent location details. Conduct a reverse image search to see if the image has appeared elsewhere on the internet with different contexts or stories. Be cautious of posts containing links, especially those generated with URL shorteners, as they may lead to malicious sites. Report suspicious posts; even though reporting may not always be effective, the more reports a post receives, the higher the chance it will be reviewed and removed.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 10, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook ( 178 ), missing child, Scams ( 1,366 ), social media ( 79 )   

  Disturbing misuse of missing girl’s image in scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Last year, the abduction and subsequent discovery of a 9-year-old New York girl captivated the nation. Her safe return was a relief to many, but now, months later, her photo is being exploited in a series of deceptive Facebook posts. These posts have appeared in groups from the US to Australia, and are spreading misinformation about her still being a missing person.

  The first of these misleading posts surfaced on July 4th in a US-based swap and save group, quickly amassing 28,000 shares. Identical posts have since appeared in similar Facebook groups all around the world, garnering thousands of shares and spreading the false narrative globally.

  This misuse of the girl’s image is not just a harmless mistake but part of a more sinister trend. Scammers use these emotionally charged posts to manipulate public sympathy and gain widespread attention. These posts initially attract concern and shares, but scammers later alter them into deceptive ads or links.

  So, naturally, we all want to help when a child is reported missing, and we still can. However, before sharing a post, it’s important to ensure it comes from a credible source. For instance, if the post is from a local news station, a police department, or an established organization like The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), it is likely to be legitimate.

  To avoid falling victim to these scams, the BBB advises checking the source of the post, looking for any updates or corrections, and being wary of posts that ask for personal information or direct users to click on external links. If you encounter such a post, report it to the platform to help prevent further spread.

  The story of this child’s abduction and rescue is a reminder of the power of community and media in locating missing children. However, the current misuse of her image underscores the importance of digital literacy. By staying informed and cautious, we can protect ourselves and others from falling prey to these deceitful schemes.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 15, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: missing child, Scams ( 1,366 ), social media ( 79 ), Wyoming   

  Missing teen scam hijacks social media 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Nothing gets shared on social media faster than the report of a missing child. Posts like that elicit such a visceral reaction in us that we’ll share the post without verifying it. This is precisely what scammers are hoping for when they post phony reports of missing children on social media. As we tend to point out, scammers will use any type of tragedy, real or imagined, to fleece their victims.

  In Wyoming, it’s been reported that scammers are posting the picture of a teenage boy who allegedly went missing after not returning home from school. The name of the boy changes, but the pictures largely stay the same. These posts are being posted by several different people, with some of them claiming to be the boy’s mother. The scammers are said to have been making these posts in community and neighborhood groups, and pages dedicated to other missing children.

  So, you’re probably wondering what the scammers can possibly gain by creating a fictitious missing child. The missing child post is just an avenue to get the post shared as widely as possible. Once the original post is shared enough times, the scammers will change the post to whatever their latest scam is. In the Wyoming case, the posts were changed to posts for a banking scam.

  So, of course, we always want to help when a child has been reported missing, and we still can. But before you share that post, you might want to make sure it’s from a credible source. For example, if the post comes from a local news station, a police station, or an established organization like The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), it’s probably a legitimate post.

  You may also want to check the age of the post. If you share a post that is years old and the child has been found, repeated posts could make things more difficult not only for police but the child’s family as well.

  Lastly, you could be sharing a false post that is designed to hurt someone.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 16, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: buy sell and trade, hoax ( 3 ), missing child, missing person ( 8 ), Scams ( 1,366 ), social media ( 79 )   

  Scammers target ‘Buy, Sell, Trade’ groups with missing child posts 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’ve all done it. We’ve all shared a post on social media that appealed to our emotions that turned out not to be true. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We all thought we were helping someone by sharing the post. Whether or not the information in the post was outdated or a hoax to begin with, misleading posts get shared with the best intents in mind. Scammers, who are modern amateur masters of psychology, are using posts with emotional appeal to further their scams, and they’re using local community pages to do so.

  According to several police departments around the country, scammers are targeting local swap pages on social media. Specifically, scammers are targeting pages that are what’s known as ‘buy, sell, and trade’ groups. Scammers have been joining these groups and have made posts that are designed to grab your immediate attention. Most of these posts have been about a missing child or baby. Well-meaning members of these groups have ended up sharing these posts, which can lead to the posts being shared thousands of times.

  When these posts reach critical mass, the scammers change the posts to peddle their latest scam. Instead of a missing child post, the post can then become about any number of scams designed to steal people’s money.

  If you’re going to share a post on social media that demands community attention, please make sure it comes from legitimate sources like police departments or legitimate news sources. If you share an unverified post on social media, you’re potentially opening up your entire friends’ list to potential scammers. And even if you’re sharing a post from a legitimate source, try to verify that the information is current, as years old posts often find new life when someone mistakenly shares one.