Facebook Scam Affecting Local Residents

Here’s another example of not being able to believe everything you see on the internet…in this case on Facebook. The Cocke County Sheriff’s department is warning citizens about a new scam that is internet based. The scammers are posting what is actually a fake news story, for example, a scammer recently posted a story about a baby being found in a dumpster. The way the post is worded makes it sound like it came from law enforcement but the name posting it is not a law enforcement entity. There have also been posts about a lost pet, injured pet, lost child, and a kidnapped child. According to the sheriff’s office, after so many people have shared the post, the scammer then changes the content to a rental scam or in a couple cases changed the post to porn and the type of porn was something that is illegal in the United States. If you share the posts you are promoting either a scam or porn. The sheriff’s office says you should always click on the posters profile and it will say it is being shared from a page and not a person. The sheriff’s office says unless you hear it from law enforcement or a reputable local new ssource…do not share it.