They are images that leave no one unmoved: injured dogs, apparently lost and alone in a side alley. The dramatic headline invites you to share it so that your four-legged friend can find his way back home as quickly as possible. But a closer look reveals a dark truth.

The identity of the recurring post about injured dogs

We know them: posts that touch the heart and appeal to emotions. And so people click, like and, above all, share. But the pattern is always the same - only the location changes, garnished with a catchy hashtag . The highlight: The comment function is blocked and all contact details are missing. At first glance it's an innocent act of help, but if you dig deeper you'll find something completely different.

This and similar posts are currently available in German, English and French and look like this on Facebook, among others:

Screenshots of fake status posts from lost and injured dogs on Facebook
Screenshots of fake status posts from lost and injured dogs on Facebook

Hello. Hello. If anyone is looking for this sweet boy, I found him on the side street in #Stateninsel. He was hit by a car in a hit-and-run accident. I took him to the vet, he isn't chipped, I know someone is looking for him. He definitely misses his family, I will continue to look after him in the meantime. Please bump this post to help me find its owner”

or

"Hello. If anyone is looking for this sweet boy, found him lying on the side road in #StatenIsland.He was hit by a car in a hit and run incident. I took him to the vet he is not chipped I know someone is looking for him. He definitely misses his family, I'll continue to take care of him in the meantime. Please bump this post to help me find his owner”

Our fact check > The transformation: from touching to tempting

Upon closer inspection, these seemingly innocent status posts reveal a sophisticated tactic

They simply ask the user to share the message without revealing contact details or further links. Noteworthy: The comment function is deactivated so that common forms of fraud such as advance fee fraud or phishing can be ruled out.

Our curiosity was piqued: What is behind these posts?

We closely monitored how posts developed, saved links, and checked for updates. To our surprise, the original posts about injured dogs were edited shortly afterwards. Instead of the desperate search ads for the four-legged friends, tempting images of idyllic houses and apartments that were supposedly for rent suddenly appeared.

Screenshot on Facebook: Based on the “edit history” you can see that the creator has edited the actual post and a property is now being offered instead of the offending dog.
Screenshot on Facebook: Based on the “edit history” you can see that the creator has edited the actual post and a property is now being offered instead of the offending dog.

The trick behind it: The emotional charge of the original post led to massive interaction and thousands of users shared the post. By changing the content, they unintentionally became ambassadors for these dubious real estate offers. The relevant websites are often not accessible, which reinforces the suspicion that something is wrong.

Screenshot of the alleged property URL. In this case the website was not accessible
Screenshot of the alleged property URL. In this case the website was not accessible

Because one thing is certain: these dogs, no matter how real the pictures may seem, were probably never lost - and the true intentions behind these posts remain hidden, but are certainly fraudulent in nature.

The purpose behind the change

You may ask yourself: What's the point? Why this switch from heartbreaking animal images to supposed real estate offers? It's a smart way to generate attention and traffic. A post that is shared en masse reaches a huge audience. And if that post is later changed, all of the thousands of users who have already interacted will suddenly see the new message.

Conclusion: Emotions as a tool for manipulation

This scam impressively shows how easily users on social media can be manipulated by emotional triggers. It's a renewed call for caution: before sharing a post, make sure you know who you're really helping. It could not only be the injured dog you are supporting, but also dubious business practices that operate in secret. It remains to be hoped that platforms like Facebook will do a better job of recognizing and stopping such machinations in the future. But we as users are also required to remain critical and not blindly follow everything that appeals to our emotions.

Also read:


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


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 )