WARNING: These Facebook Posts Are Scams! Stop Sharing Them NOW!

Alright El Paso, I have seen WAY too many people sharing posts on Facebook about lost children, police trying to locate an unconcious women’s family, and even dead or injured animals on the road. THEY’RE ALL A SCAM!

Yup, you know your tia, tio, or grandma share these posts and although they may think they’re doing something good, sharing these posts could harm THEM!

Some of the posts I’m talking about usually often have the same caption or similar captions and feature photos of random people or animals in critical danger.

Here's how you can spot that these posts are all scams:

1. Geographic Errors: Does the user seem unfamiliar with local names or spellings? That’s a red flag. If a scammer is targeting a specific area, they might use incorrect place names or awkward phrasing.

2. Lack of Details: Genuine posts seeking help from the public will include specific information like dates, times, and locations. If these details are missing, be skeptical.

3. Suspicious Profiles: Check the user’s profile. Do they have only one photo, an empty “About” section, or no other posts? These are signs of a fake account.

4. Odd Terminology: Watch out for terms that don’t fit your location. For instance, “Police Department” is an American term, not used everywhere. 
5. Comments Are Disabled: This is a BIG one! If you see that comments are not allowed on the ORIGINAL post the it’s a huge red flag. Usually hackers and scammers don’t let people comment on their posts because they will get people who call them out and let others know the post is a scam. Also, the scammers want YOU to message THEM so disabling the comments forces people to message them directly and it’s easier to be sneaky when no one else can read the messages!

And remember, once these posts gain traction, scammers often change the content to promote illegal activities. So, next time you see a “lost child” post, think twice before hitting that share button. Don’t be the reason your friends see random or inappropriate content in their feeds. Stay vigilant and always do your homework!