I hate that we have to be so vigilant on social media, but unfortunately there are scams all over the place. I’ve talked about this particular approach before, but it has continued to become incredibly popular over the last couple of months, probably because it’s proving to be effective.
Q. What’s the scam?
A. They will create some kind of emotional post designed to gain traction online and disable commenting so that people can’t help identify it as a scam to others. After it gets so many shares they then edit the post to something else – usually too good to be true – that drives traffic to a bogus website with a form to fill out in order to collect/steal info.
Q. How can I recognize it?
A. The good news is that there are a few dead giveaways within the original post that can help you recognize them.
Before the change:
- The post tugs at your heartstrings in some way.
- It specifically asks you to share it in order to help find someone.
- The comments are turned off.
After the change: - The post has some kind of incredible offer that sounds too good to be true.
- There’s a link for people to click on.
- The comments are turned off.
In BOTH cases, the comments are turned off. So before you share a post, the first thing you should do is check to see if commenting has been disabled. - Q. What can I do to help?
A. Share this post. Get the word out. Know what to look for. Tell your friends.