SAN ANTONIO – The pictures pasted on social media posts about missing children or lost, injured pets may not be what they seem. And if you share them, you may be spreading a scam to your friends and not even know it.
Scrolling through Facebook, the images catch your eye and heart. Typically, the post says they are desperately searching for the owner of a “sweet girl” or “sweet boy,” a dog they just found on injured on the side of the road. “Please bump,” is the plea.
“And, you feel compelled to share,” said Jason Meza, regional director of the Better Business Bureau.
But hold on. It’s likely fake.
“It is a bait and switch where they’ll try to get as many people to share a lost pet, a missing person or missing item,” Meza said.
A ruse about missing children is often the bait. A Facebook search of the words, “This is the most recent picture of my son,” turned up at least four identical images of a boy called Tyler, only he had a different last name and location in each.
The description in fake missing children posts is often identical -- the child is wearing black Converse with red and purpose shoestrings and a zip-up hoodie.
So what’s going on?
Scammers play on emotions and urgency to get you to share the post. Once it’s spread, they edit the post to something entirely different, such as a fake ad including a malicious link. Because you shared the post previously when it was seemingly an urgent matter, your friends are under the impression you support the new content.
It’s not always obvious, either.
A viewer told KPRC-TV in Houston that she shared a Barbie movie quote. Days later, though, the post had been changed to an ad for a quilt website.
In another example, a parent on a new group school page told KPRC she sees ads on the feed with a link that appears to be a shirt order form. But it’s fake.
The scammers want you to click on the link in order to steal your money or information. There is also a risk of malware.
“Pause. Take a breath before you share,” Meza said. “Consider the source. Verify that person is a real person.”
Check the profile of the person who created the post. If it’s new or has few friends, it may be fake.
If comments have been turned off, that’s a red flag, too.
Be wary of copycat text. Many of the bait posts use the same language.
You can also do a reverse search of the image of the supposedly missing child or found pet.
Facebook provides guidance on what to do about spam posts here.