Facebook scam hits Kern County with fake images of ‘missing’ children, dogs, elderly
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – Most of us are willing to help people in need — especially children — and social media often provides a good way to do it.
But a different type of sympathy-garnering Facebook scam making the rounds in Kern County this week isn’t looking for your money — at least not directly — but rather your likes and shares.
It’s another case of Facebook users beware.
The 2-year-old boy reported missing in Delano has not been found. Neither has an identical boy reported missing in Arvin. Nor have identical lads reported missing in small towns in Iowa, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, the United Kingdom and who knows where else? The kid gets around.
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Dead ringers, all of them, with one glaring exception: In some cases, the child is not missing but rather has been found, but remains unclaimed.
In any case, will you help spread the word by liking or sharing on Facebook? Of course you will! It’s a child.
The boy, who appears to have sustained injuries consistent with a car crash or a tumble in some gravel, is clearly part of a coordinated hoax of some sort.
By why? This is not part of a GoFundMe appeal. The perpetrators are not asking for money or personal information.
What does anyone stand to gain by accumulating hundreds of Facebook “likes, “loves,” “wows,” “sad faces” and “caring faces”? What’s the benefit of getting hundreds of people to share this post?
Just this: Once the post has been liked and shared by a large amount of people the original poster will go back in and edit it. Instead of a plea to help find a missing child, the post now advises people they are entitled to receive $300 cash, perhaps from some government program, if they click the link and sign up. The rewritten post retains all of those likes and shares – possibly including people you know. But it now closes with: “This is real guys. I received mine.”
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Clicking that link might open the door to hackers or other scams.
Facebook groups, frequently based in smaller towns, that buy or sell used items, are often hijacked by scammers.
It need not be missing or found children, of course. Injured or missing animals work just as well. Adults with dementia, missing children with disabilities — they all work, because most of us want to help.
How do you tell? First, if the poster has turned off the commenting function, stop right there. If you’re asking for help or giving a warning, why limit the number of people who can reply?
If there’s a photograph, try performing a reverse image search with a site such as TinEye.
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Copy and paste some of the text into a search engine. You may well find a whole raft of cut and paste efforts across multiple social media portals.
Beware freshly baked scammers. Check the account creation date. A new account with no other content has likely been set up to scam people.
It can be tough out there, folks. Sadly, that’s especially true for people who just want to help out their fellow man. Or fellow baby, or fellow puppy, as the case may be.
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