RCMP warning of new social media scam

A new kind of bait-and-switch social media scam has been making its rounds across North America, including in Prince George.

The Prince George RCMP are warning people to be wary of what they call “heartbreaking” social media posts.

These posts are designed to be shared widely, often by asking for others to spread awareness of a lost child or pet.

Police say after these attention-grabbing posts are shared widely in a community the original poster edits them – changing the post in its entirety to look like a rental unit, item for sale, or contest.

This new fraudulent post looks legitimate, especially if family and friends see it shared on the page of someone they know and trust.

If an unsuspecting person follows a link in these altered posts, police say they are asked to share personal information which can lead to identity theft, or send money for whatever they think they are buying.

For example, the RCMP say this Facebook post shared to the Prince George BC Buy and Sell Trade Free group is an example of a heartbreaking post that was then altered after it was shared on mass.

The exact same post was made in multiple other community groups across North America – a near surefire way to determine it is not what it seems.

Police are suggesting people do the following to determine if a post is real:

• Run a search of the original poster’s name to see if their account is legitimate. Often, the original poster will have numerous social media accounts on a single platform, few friends, or the accounts is very new, which should all be red flags.
• Search the key words to see if the same post has been made elsewhere, especially if they have targeted other cities further away from your own town.
• Perform a reverse image search to see if the image has been used for other purposes before sharing.
• Be sure to avoid clicking links that you cannot verify as coming from a legitimate source. If you aren’t certain if a link is legitimate, go to the parent website on your own or log into your online account to verify if the actual company is requesting you to visit their website.
• Report the post to the social media platform so it can be taken down.

You can read more on the RCMP’s online safety page.