Beware of scammers changing Facebook posts after you share them

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Have you noticed a post on your Facebook recently that you didn't share, but you weren't hacked?

It's probably a scammer that is tricking people into sharing their phishing links.

Scammers are making posts that encourage people to share them, such as posts about missing or found pets. Once people have shared the posting, the scammer edits it to show the scam post.

For instance, a recent post to a west Michigan Facebook group showed a puppy that was found, and the poster said they were looking for the owner. However, after the post was shared by multiple people, it was edited to be about a contest, full of phishing links.

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Unless someone alerts you or you look back at your posts, you may not even know that the scam is now on your page.

In Metro Detroit groups, several posts have been edited to trick victims into applying for houses that aren't actually available. 

Don't be scared thinking all posts about missing and found animals are scams, though. There are some telltale signs in the original post that can help you identify the scam.

For instance, the found puppy post was made by someone with only 12 friends who had just joined the group. Other scammers often have their locations set as other countries. 

The pet post only included the city, not the area where the dog was apparently found, and comments were turned off – how are people supposed to say they know who the dog belongs to if they cannot comment?

Additionally, the photo was blurry, as if the person saved it from the internet.

These signs suggested that the post may be bogus, but the scammer was still able to trick people who were concerned about the puppy into sharing it.

If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a post, look at the poster's profile. Also, if the post was made in a group, you can report it to the group admins, who can look into it.