The fake image shows a young boy’s face swollen and bruised, as if beaten.
It’s one of numerous fake posts crowding the public Facebook group “Summit County in Coalville, Park City, Kamas, Oakley,” which has over 7,700 members.
Summit County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Kacey Bates said she’s heard from numerous residents about concerns and whether the posts are real.
“It's becoming a trend on Marketplace, it's becoming a trend on community groups where people are using lost pets, and they're using … this child that was lost, and they’re spurring people's emotions to like and share,” she told KPCW.
Once these posts have likes, shares and comments, they appear more real. Bates said scammers then edit the posts to drive traffic to malicious websites or ask for money.
So, how can you tell which posts are fake?
For one, the same accounts will frequently post scams and use similar captions. Public groups are more vulnerable than private ones.
“Only join groups that are verified,” Bates said. “And don't like or share posts before you look into that person that's actually posting about it.”
One of the accounts that posted the fake missing child alerts has also posted about missing pets, free food, rental properties and snake bites. Many of the fake posts show the same photo twice.
Something else to watch for, post comments are often turned off, preventing real accounts from warning others about a potential scam.
Because scammers can create any number of fake accounts and posts, it’s hard to fight them. Bates said the best strategy is education, often called “pre-bunking,” or teaching people to spot scams before they fall victim to one.
