05/02/2024
PLEASE STOP SHARING LOST DOG AND MISSING PEOPLE POSTS WITHOUT VERIFYING THE SOURCE
PSA: When you see a photo of a dog that was found and the person posting says they can't find the owner and is looking for assistance, please tap on that person's profile photo and judge whether or not the post is legit. The same if it is a missing person, particularly a child or an elderly person with dementia, or just a really great deal on renting or purchasing a home.
New scams include posting a pic of a child saying she is looking for her 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. You can also do a search for the text and you’ll see it appears on other pages too!
——other flags to look for
1) the ‘person’s’ profile is actually a PAGE
2) the ‘about page’ will show you its a business page, how many administrators, etc - personal profiles do NOT have admins.
3) locations are #
4) 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 are confirmed legitimate
5) red flag number five, comments on the original post have been turned off. Why is this a red flag? Because if you are missing your loved one or your pet, would you not want someone to be able to comment?
6) the poster has only recently created the profile and has 0 friends
7) they usually ask you to “bump” the post

Why would someone do this?
Because once you share their post, they can then change the post to anything they want. And suddenly you are advertising weight loss products, or 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. (Who knows with scammers these days! 🤷🏽♀️🤷🏽)
We all have the sweetest intentions to reunite pets with their owners, but scam artists prey on this. Unless there is a specific location, or the person sharing has mutual friends with you, just keep scrolling.
And never send money. EVER!!!