-Screenshots by Kelby Wingert
Recently, hoaxes like these posts have been cropping up on Facebook marketplace groups. Webster County Sheriff’s Office Detective Alex Winninger said these posts can set up the users who share them to further scams.
You’re scrolling through Facebook when you come upon a collection of photos of a sweet puppy and the poster says they found the animal wandering around and want to reunite it with the owner, so they ask to have the post shared across social media.
It seems innocent enough, but in reality it could be setting you up for online danger down the road.
Recently, fake posts have been popping up on Facebook groups dedicated to Fort Dodge area residents buying and selling items. These posts, upon first glance, seem genuine — a parent searching for their child who didn’t return home after school, or a good samaritan who brought in a dog stuck out in the cold, or even of a citizen warning neighbors of a potential thief.
Instead, they’re hoaxes and scams that are potentially setting up the users who share them for more scams, according to a local cyber crime expert.
Webster County Sheriff’s Detective Alex Winninger with the Fort Dodge/Webster County Cyber Crimes Unit warns against falling victim to these fake posts.
-Screenshots by Kelby Wingert
Recently, hoaxes like these posts have been cropping up on Facebook marketplace groups. Webster County Sheriff’s Office Detective Alex Winninger said these posts can set up the users who…
