The RCMP is cautioning the public to be wary of sharing or forwarding a particular type of social media post known as a “heartbreaker” post.
The scam involves the poster usually asking for help in finding the owners of a lost dog or the parents of a lost child and social media users are encouraged to share the information in hopes of spreading awareness.
RCMP say after the information is shared, the poster changes their post to a deceptive rental ad or fraudulent contest, so when your friends and family see it on your social media page, they believe it to be legitimate, and are more inclined to click the link.
The link could ask to people to share personal information, which can lead to identity theft, or they will be asked for a deposit on the fake rental property.
Some ways to prevent falling for “heartbreaking” social media posts include:
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- 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.
