Why Are So Many People In Lubbock Falling For The Same Scam Posts?

Scrolling through Facebook is getting exhausting for many reasons, but the incessant scams are the absolute worst. Many are easy to see through, but some are more deceptive. One scam, in particular, is really good at duping folks in Lubbock. Why are we falling for this over and over again?

Actually, I know why. It's not your fault, but we can all still do better. And it will help to understand how the scam works, too.

Because y'all are kind-hearted people and want to help, you'll repost a photo of an injured dog looking for its owner, or a missing child. How could that possibly be a scam? The poster is looking for help, not money. But here's the thing: that's not how the scam works.

Posts like hurt pets or missing kids are very emotionally charged and tend to get reposted hundreds if not thousands of times. The scam is to use a photo of an injured dog or just some random kid they claim is missing, get people to share it all over the place, then edit the post so it becomes an ad. The scammer emotionally manipulated you into sharing an ad for them. What a jerk.

So how do you know if it's really someone needing help, or this B.S.? First, remember that most scams work by being emotionally powerful, so you act without thinking first. Any "please share" about a hurt animal or missing kid should throw up a red flag. So if you see one ask yourself the following questions:

Does this post have any local details? Or could this have happened anywhere? Scams tend to be lazy, they don't usually do enough research to say: "This dog was hit on Slide" or "My child went missing from Waters Elementary School."

Does this image look familiar? I have seen the same mangled dog or missing kid weeks apart with slightly different wording and from a completely different person. Again, scammers are lazy.

Does the original poster seem like a real person? This will be your fail-safe 99/100 times. Just click on the original poster's profile. Do they have one friend and one profile picture? No location listed? It's not a real person. It's a phished photo with a fake name.

Let's all be a little more attentive and put this scam out of business. It'll make social media slightly less annoying, which I think we'd all enjoy.