Sharing Facebook post about lost pet could put you, friends at risk of scam

I'd assume everyone by now has spotted one of those sad stories on Facebook about a dog that ran off, maybe heading back to the old neighborhood miles away from the new house, or the cat that hasn't been back for three nights.

Who would imagine, really, that you might do more harm than good by sharing a story about the search? After all, maybe you just spotted that pooch in the park.

Yet sharing some posts that tug at your heartstrings — or another eye-catching piece — could put your social media friends at risk of getting caught in a scam, according to a new warning from the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan & the Upper Peninsula.

How one story turns into a scam pitch

Once you share such a random post, your friends don't end up seeing what you saw. They're not getting news about a missing child, a lost dog or even that cat that could be locked in someone's garage. Instead, scammers change the original post to promote a deceptive rental ad or sometimes to a link pointing to a survey that "guarantees" a cash prize.

Your friends think you recommended the content. But you didn't.

The risk, of course, is that maybe someone will think that the rental property being advertised is a good deal and put down a deposit. Or the crooks might find a new way to get personal information that can be used for identity theft.

“Scammers are sharing these posts in legitimate groups, putting not only the group members but also their friends at risk," said Melanie Duquesnel, BBB president & CEO, in a statement.

The BBB heard of a local case where a post started out on social media telling people about a missing dog but later was turned into a too-good-to-be-true rental pitch for a three-bedroom house at $550 a month. "There is no deposit required, and all pets are welcome!"

Sure, a 75% off rental deal. Yeah, right. But maybe your friend found a deal? Or knows someone?

Scammers know that we trust our friends

"It looks like your Facebook friend has shared this rental, so it must be legitimate," said Laura Blankenship, chief of staff and director of marketing for the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan.

Scammers often will steal photos of homes that had been used online earlier in real estate ads to create housing or rental scams. Typically, the photo might be something stolen from another website, such as Zillow.

Now, though, the scammer wants to catch you off-guard by having someone share a post.

"Scammers are always evolving. They are sophisticated. And they know that animals, babies and tragedies, unfortunately, that's what is pulling at the heartstrings," Blankenship said.

The scammer knows how to alter the post after it's been shared as an alert, say about a missing child or lost pet, to something else.

Blankenship says consumers should try to look at the Facebook site and see if a post has been edited, as one possible clue of a scam.

She said it's OK to share information, say if you know a neighbor is looking for a pet. But consumers need to avoid automatically reacting and sharing something from someone they don't know well.

"Share with caution," Blankenship said.

The BBB has been seeing more of these scams happening in local groups and noted that people often have no idea these kinds of posts are scams.

A few things could happen if this scam is carried out.

In some cases, a link could lead consumers to make a down payment or send money for an application fee for the rental or a vacation home. The consumer loses money. The scammer also has the person’s credit card or personal information.

Or the link could contain malware. Once the person clicks, the malware is downloaded to their device and any personal information or banking information on the device could be accessed.

The BBB notes that the scheme has many variations, but said scammers' shareable posts are designed to catch your eye with an emotional feeling or sense of urgency. They can appeal to those who care about their community or love animals.

Ways to spot the bait-and-switch scam posts

The BBB has some tips to avoid getting tripped up by such Facebook posts:

• Take an extra close look at the profile of the person who created and shared the original post. Was the profile from Florida but the post shared in a group based in Canada? Why would you do this if you're looking for a missing cat in Florida? Such odd twists may be a red flag of a bait-and-switch post.
• Find out when the poster created the Facebook profile. Scammers create new profiles when their old one gets banned. Click on their profile to see how long someone has been a member of the group.
• Step back and ask why you've not heard or read about a missing child in the news? Or a big fire at an apartment building? Why is a post out of the blue alerting you to troubling news?
• Do a reverse image search on Google to find out if the pictures you saw were used on other ads or websites in different cities. Go to Google images. Click on the "search image" icon and drag your image to the spot to see where it originated.
• Spotting a deal for a rental property? Take time to search the address to see if it’s listed on other websites. "If it’s listed for sale on one website but for rent on another, that’s a huge red flag," the BBB warns.
• You might want to do a search by copy and pasting the text from the post. You can use the Facebook search tool to see if other posts with the same text or pictures existed in the past.

We've known for a while that it's possible to share false information on social media. But many of us probably don't realize that a post that was shared might have started out alerting you to something completely different, like a lost dog, and not a prize or a bargain that turns out to be a scam.

Contact Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @tompor. To subscribe, please go to freep.com/specialoffer.