Facebook scams, where someone asks you to share an often heartbreaking or attention-grabbing post, are on the rise. Here’s what to look out for.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Be careful what you share. The Better Business Bureau warns that scams in local buy-and-sell Facebook groups are on the rise and the scammers are banking on you sharing their fake posts, which are usually heartbreaking.
The posts are attention-grabbing and often pull at your heart strings. We at 3NEWS have seen the scam posts, including one that asked users to share to help find the parents of an injured, hospitalized child.
You want to help, so you share the post to your timeline. But after you share, the post turns into a deceptive rental ad or a survey that guarantees a cash payout– all scams to try and get your hard earned money, the BBB said.
“Now, your friends think you have recommended that content,” the BBB said. “These bait-and-switch ads aim to either get a deposit for a rental property before the user gets a chance to see the home- or get your personal information, which could lead to identity theft.”
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The Bee County Sheriff’s Office has warned their community about the scams several times on their Facebook page. Entire Facebook groups have been created claiming to be Bee County community groups, but officials said they are all scams.
“This group has the same pictures and posts in each one of their pages for many different cities. They have posts of found dogs, missing people, and other posts that get your attention,” a post from Bee County officials said. “DO NOT SHARE AND DO NOT JOIN THESE GROUPS!!”
Here’s what the BBB recommends to avoid being scammed on Facebook:
One thing we noticed is the comments are usually disabled on these posts. You can share, but you cannot comment. This is usually a red flag.