Facebook scammers use Michigan nostalgia to spread spam

A post by one of the scammers who regularly shares the quilt scam. (Photo: Facebook)

DETROIT (FOX 2) - After spending years using emotions to trick people into sharing spam on Facebook, scammers are now using something Michiganders love - their state.

Spammers are creating groups dedicated to Michigan and filling them with nostalgic posts to get people to interact with and share the posts. However, some of these posts are later edited to include scam links.

This isn't a new trick. Scammers have used missing children, injured animals, and more to entice people to share posts that would later be changed.

Here's what to know about the newest method of scamming:

‘I grew up in Michigan’ group draws likes, shares

One of the groups pedaling spam posts is called "I grew up in Michigan." The transparency section of the Facebook group shows that it was created earlier this year, and the public group is run by moderators who have few friends and/or not from the United States.

The moderators regularly post Michigan-themed content, such as photos from the final Detroit Lions game at Tiger Stadium to facts about now-closed business to photos of beloved areas of the state, like the Upper Peninsula.

Some posts are also lifted from other Facebook users, such as one complaining about a new intersection configuration on Telegraph and Eight Mile.

On the surface, these posts seem harmless. However, the Facebook edit function means they won't stay that way.

Edited posts spread scams

After a post is shared, the scammers will edit it to show a scam trying to sell a quilt:

"My son is autistic he learned Michigan quilt design and set up his online store and I am the first to order this quilt from him, he's asking you what you think about his design, please support him. Order from here."

(Photo: Facebook)

The posts include an AI-generated photo of a quilt and a spam link. Scammers have been known to post links to steal people's account credentials and personal information, like credit card numbers.

Though the "I grew up in Michigan" group is littered with quilt posts, not every post is edited, likely to keep the scam less obvious. Additionally, the moderators aren't the only ones posting in the group, so some posts are made without nefarious intent. However, many are.

One recent quilt post is full of comments mentioning Steenstra's Royal Dutch Bakery. The edit history shows the post was first about the beloved bakery, but was later changed. That post was made by a new Facebook account with few friends or visible content.

What to look for

While the missing people and pet posts are easier to spot as scams, these Michigan posts are trickier.

The best way to avoid these scams is to be careful about what you are sharing. If you are sharing something from a public group, click the poster's name to see all of their posts from that group. This is a quick way to see if other posts include scam links.

Facebook also allows you to see if a post has been edited, and view the previous edits. This feature doesn't always work on the app, so you may need to use a computer to check.

To do so, click the three dots in the upper right corner of a post and select "view edit history."

The edit history of one of these scam posts (Photo: Facebook)

Also, take a look at the poster's page. If they're running a Michigan group but are from another country, they're probably posting spam. If a person's page says it is locked, that's a big giveaway that the person is not in the U.S.

Occasionally, these scammers may have their location set to somewhere in Michigan, but other aspects of their profile give away that they aren't legitimate accounts.

Things to look for include how new the person's page is. Occasionally, the page will have posts with a clock symbol near the date a post was made. This means a post was backdated when it was posted, a tactic often used to make it look like a page is older than it really is.

If you see a post you want to share, copy the text and search for the post on Facebook. If you find multiple people sharing the exact same post into other similar groups, like "Michigan Everything," that's another sign that the post will be edited later.

Not every group dedicated to Michigan is a spam group, of course. As scammers continue to change their techniques for misleading people, the best defense is being mindful of what you're sharing.