VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — These days, it seems like you need to be careful about everything you see online.
Most recently, people with bad intentions have been creating fake social media posts about missing or hurt pets.
Once the heart-wrenching post gets enough shares, or interactions, the poster adds a malicious link or starts asking for money in return for the pet.
This almost happened to Will Daniel, a Virginia Beach man whose dog, Mack, went missing in Emporia in June.
“We were outside [hanging out] and Mack was laying down in the truck. [He heard a bang and got scared] and I was like, ‘he's probably hiding somewhere in the truck.’ And then when I realized that he was not in the truck, I figured he had to be somewhere near or close. Boy, was I wrong,” said Daniel.
Will, along with his family and friends, searched the woods, hung up flyers, and posted Mack's photo everywhere they could online.
“I think the best part was that I posted so soon. My original posts ended up getting us about 4,000 shares,” said Danielle Langlois.
Will's friend Danielle watched online chatter when a heart-stopping picture showed up on one of the pages.
“The post that initially happened was somebody commented on that post [that was originally posted] with a picture that looked just like Mack and said, ‘I have your dog, he was hit by a car,’” she said. “I was like, it doesn't matter — we found him. We're going to go get him.”
However, Will says it was not that simple.
"It turns out that it was not Mack. It was another dog and some sort of scam being posted online," said Will.
Danielle says she received a message from the administrator of the group who said, “This is one of the harder things to tell you, but this is a 'scam.' The next thing they are going to tell you is they paid for the veterinary service and the bill for the dog to get help, and they want the money and then they will tell you exactly where the dog is.”
According to the Better Business Bureau, this has been happening a lot.
Scammers create fake profiles, join missing pet pages, and then post about a hurt animal. They allege that they have taken them to the veterinarian and are looking to find the owner.
They ask the public to “bump the post” and when it is shared widely, they add a malicious link.
“Putting somebody through that emotional turmoil is just horrific in my opinion,” said Danielle.
After the incident, Will said he “started doing a lot of research on the person that posted just to try to find them and make sure they never did it again."
The post and page were deleted, and luckily, Mack was found a few days later by someone who had seen the original flyer.
However, Will and Danielle have cautionary advice for other pet parents.
“Try to ask more questions and if they're not responding, immediately know that that's a red flag,” said Danielle.
Will agrees, and said to “always take everything with a grain of salt. Just never get your hopes up until you actually have [them] back.
The two friends also say they received several messages and phone calls from people also alleging they have Mack when they really did not.
The Better Business Bureau has this advice for anyone who is looking for a lost pet or feeling encouraged to share these posts on their own page:
- Look at the post’s wording carefully before sharing
- Consider how you know the person who is sharing the information
- If you do not know the person creating the post, see how long they have been a member of the “lost pets” group you are in
- Do a reverse Google search on the images
In fact, the alleged picture of Mack was fake. A reverse Google search found that the picture was taken from a news article about a pet in the United Kingdom.
