The "missing" people posts are running rampant on facebook. Are there really that many people missing in our societies or is it that scammers are just trying to capitalize?
You see these posts multiple times a day in the Newsfeed. Missing children, teens as well as adults. Although their hearts are in the right place, most people will almost impulsively click Like or Share without giving it a second thought. From as far back as I can remember I have been skeptical of such post on facebook. Before I share or like these types of things, I do a little googling. Its easy to do. Be aware, before you Share! Simply copy and paste their name etc. into your search engine. Sometimes you may have to add the word "missing" after the name to get and exact match. Much of the time you will see that these people have been found or maybe the post is a scam. A way for pages to gain notoriety by your Likes and Shares.
Although sometimes I find the tragic stories end in inconceivable ways... in no way, by writing this article, am I trying to hinder the efforts of finding those that are truly missing. I am pleading that people do a little research before clicking forward. Please consider the pros and cons as outlined here.
Below you will find a few articles that I found using keywords; "fake missing persons on facebook"
No doubt you’ve seen these pleas on Facebook before: Share this photo to help find my missing child. But heartfelt messages don’t always have the best intentions behind them, and by sharing them you could actually be putting the child in danger. Have you ever thought of that?
read on
A poster appealing for help finding “missing” six-year-old girl Amy Hamilton has been shared thousands of times on social media – despite being a racist hoax by a right-wing propaganda group.
You see these posts multiple times a day in the Newsfeed. Missing children, teens as well as adults. Although their hearts are in the right place, most people will almost impulsively click Like or Share without giving it a second thought. From as far back as I can remember I have been skeptical of such post on facebook. Before I share or like these types of things, I do a little googling. Its easy to do. Be aware, before you Share! Simply copy and paste their name etc. into your search engine. Sometimes you may have to add the word "missing" after the name to get and exact match. Much of the time you will see that these people have been found or maybe the post is a scam. A way for pages to gain notoriety by your Likes and Shares.Although sometimes I find the tragic stories end in inconceivable ways... in no way, by writing this article, am I trying to hinder the efforts of finding those that are truly missing. I am pleading that people do a little research before clicking forward. Please consider the pros and cons as outlined here.
Below you will find a few articles that I found using keywords; "fake missing persons on facebook"
If you’re wondering what the crooks do with the
likes, the answer is simple. Facebook pages with a large number of likes
can be sold on the cyber-criminal underground market.
Popular pages can be utilized by scammers and cyber-criminals to advertise shady products and to lure unsuspecting
internauts to malicious websites. Continue reading here
No doubt you’ve seen these pleas on Facebook before: Share this photo to help find my missing child. But heartfelt messages don’t always have the best intentions behind them, and by sharing them you could actually be putting the child in danger. Have you ever thought of that?
read on
A poster appealing for help finding “missing” six-year-old girl Amy Hamilton has been shared thousands of times on social media – despite being a racist hoax by a right-wing propaganda group.
The fake appeal uses a painting taken from a Flickr account to
represent the fictional little girl, and underneath it includes the
message: “It is believed Amy has been kidnapped by an Asian grooming
gang.”
The poster is the work of the right-wing group Britons against Left-Wing Extremism (Bale), and was first spread as if it were genuine by the organizations blog and social media accounts branded the Daily Bale. Continue reading
Brief Analysis of "Missing Persons in Australia by hoax-slayer.com
The Page is a callous like-farming scam and the missing person posters are fake. Users will not receive rewards for liking and sharing. The scam is an attempt to amass large numbers of likes for the bogus Page. Do not like the Page or share its fake posters. And, please report the Page to Facebook.
Another example
Originally posted on the BBB website's blog:
One of my friends posted an Amber Alert on Facebook this morning:
The poster is the work of the right-wing group Britons against Left-Wing Extremism (Bale), and was first spread as if it were genuine by the organizations blog and social media accounts branded the Daily Bale. Continue reading
Brief Analysis of "Missing Persons in Australia by hoax-slayer.com
The Page is a callous like-farming scam and the missing person posters are fake. Users will not receive rewards for liking and sharing. The scam is an attempt to amass large numbers of likes for the bogus Page. Do not like the Page or share its fake posters. And, please report the Page to Facebook.
Another example
Originally posted on the BBB website's blog:
One of my friends posted an Amber Alert on Facebook this morning:
Little girl, 3 years
old, picked up by a man driving a gray car, license plate: Quebec 72B
381. Please re-post. Three seconds will not kill you. If it were your
child you would want the same support.
How awful. The most awful thing about it? It’s not true...read more.
Has anyone else noticed the increased missing persons, missing children and amber alerts?
ReplyDelete