The endless network of digital communication harbors fascination and danger at the same time. Social media like Facebook has become a hub for emotional interaction, but just as the light beckons, so too do the shadows. Lately we've been paying close attention to two disturbing phenomena on Facebook:
- The hidden danger in the so-called “religious sayings sites and groups”, we have HERE and HERE and
- The manipulation of Facebook status messages. We reported about this HERE .
Both themes have a common element – the exploitation of human emotions
Sayings sites and groups are popular destinations for people who want to provide simple answers to simple questions. At first glance they seem harmless, but we've discovered that they can also be a springboard for very questionable things. The creators use the emotions that such posts trigger to lure unwary users into their trap.
The second method we examined is the manipulation of Facebook status messages. Here, creators use Facebook's "Edit" function to change the content of already published and widely distributed posts, often to insert fake links or fraudulent messages. (We have described in detail how this works HERE ). Emotions also play a big role here, because through initially harmless or appealing posts, the creators build an emotional bond with the users, which they then exploit.
These two troubling phenomena now appear to be combining to create an even larger problem. In current cases, posts that appear harmless at first glance are posted in “saying groups,” which are then manipulated and turned into religious bait.
| Claims | Fact check |
|---|---|
| “Saying pages and groups” and manipulated Facebook status messages are disturbing phenomena on Facebook. | Confirmed. Both phenomena have been identified as methods that creators use to exploit emotions and lure users into their traps. |
| “Saying” pages and groups can be a springboard for questionable activity. | Confirmed. Some such sites and groups have been found to be used for fraudulent purposes. |
| Creators alter Facebook status messages to include fake links or deceptive messages. | Confirmed. Using the editing function, already published posts can be manipulated to insert other content. |
| The above phenomena combine to create an even bigger problem. | Confirmed. Cases have been documented in which posts in “speech groups” were manipulated and turned into religious bait. |
| Manipulated posts lure users into communication with sites that spread religious extremism. | Confirmed. There are examples where users were connected to sites such as Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church through manipulated posts. |
| Emotional manipulation is a common tool on Facebook. | Confirmed. Emotional posts attract attention and build trust, which is then exploited by creators. |
Below we will delve deeper into this topic and examine how this scam works and how we can protect ourselves from it. The key to combating such scams is understanding their mechanisms, and that is exactly what we aim to achieve with this article.
Current case: Manipulated posts from sayings groups
Imagine: A Facebook group dedicated to posting inspirational, motivational, and loving sayings posts a seemingly harmless question: “3 words more beautiful than I love you . The question touches the hearts of members and triggers a wave of interactions – 631 likes, 7123 comments. It feels like a community gathering around positive feelings. But what begins as an innocent conversation quickly takes a dark turn.
After attracting enough attention, the original post will be changed
The once romantic question gives way to a mysterious message: “ Something good is happening to you today. Are you ready to accept it? Then click on the link “.
If you now follow the link, Facebook Messenger opens! You will automatically be connected to the Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church page.
Here is a screenshot of such a communication that we had already had in March 2023:
In the end, social media users are confronted with religious fundamentalism and extremism through completely harmless-seeming and highly viral postings.
Emotional manipulation on Facebook
This scenario clearly shows how emotional manipulation is used as a tool on Facebook. To attract attention and gain trust, users are lured with inspiring or emotionally appealing posts. Once they have collected enough interactions, they change the post and replace the content and add a link for Facebook Messenger so that you end up being connected to the Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church page.
Conclusion : Fraudsters use the platforms to emotionally manipulate people and lure them into traps. The recent trend of turning harmless “saying” groups and status messages into dangerous bait demonstrates the sophistication of this method. We need to be aware of these threats and think critically about the information we interact with online. In order to identify the vulnerabilities of the technologies and platforms we use and effectively protect ourselves against such fraud, we need to understand them better.
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )