08/29/2023
When you see a post of a photo of a dog that was ‘found’ and the account who posted it says they can't find the owner and is looking for help, please tap on that person's profile photo and judge whether or not the post is legit. The same for a missing person, particularly a child or an elderly person with dementia, or just a really great deal on renting or sale of a home.
New scams include posting a pic of a child saying they’re looking for the birth parents as well as a person celebrating their 100+ birthday and wanting to get shares to acknowledge it!
How can you tell?
Well, if the person is in some other part of the world and has no other posts, it's probably a scam!
Red flags :to look for
🚩the profile is actually a PAGE
🚩the ‘about page’ is a business page, how many administrators, etc - personal profiles do NOT have admins.
🚩locations are # (hashtag)
🚩if it’s a legit missing senior, who drove off in his truck with his dear dog, there would be a silver alert or some kind of post from the police. Only share posts from law enforcement agencies or national alerts regarding missing people because they’re confirmed legitimate
🚩comments on the original post have been turned off. Why is this a red flag? Because if you’re missing a loved one or pet, would you not want someone to be able to comment?
🚩the poster has recently created the profile and has 0 friends

Why would someone do this?
Because once you share their post, they can then change the post to anything they want…and suddenly you’re advertising weight loss products, sunglasses, or rallies for politics you are not supporting or to get you to directly message the original poster who then can hack into your Facebook.
We have good intentions to reunite pets with their owners or missing loved ones but scam artists prey on this. Unless there is a specific location, or the person sharing has mutual friends with you, just keep scrolling or report suspicious posts. Also, NEVER ever send money! Never share a six-digit code! Never give your phone #.
