Those behind these fraudulent posts are exploiting people's compassion and concern for missing children. They post photos and stories of allegedly kidnapped children and promise that more information or even a video about the incidents is available. Since the locations where the kidnappings are said to have taken place are used variably, a local context becomes tangible for users. Reports about one's own hometown sometimes act like a magnet. Of course you want to know what happened. Scammers play with these emotions and try to lure users into their trap.

But caution is advised! Never click on such links too quickly, as they can lead to fake login pages that will steal your personal login information.

Real photo used for fraud

In a current “missing person report” on Facebook, the photo of a girl is used, who is said to be called “Kathrin Duerr”, is 14 years old and comes from Rheine.

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Screenshot Facebook / July 2023

But this image is considered a shocking example of the deviousness of these fraudulent posts. The girl in the photo is actually called Cassandra Kozlowski and was actually reported missing in Wisconsin, USA, in early 2021 . The girl's photo was used by the scammers to potentially increase the credibility of the post. They abuse it for their own purposes to lure unsuspecting users into their trap.

Luckily, the girl resurfaced and was brought to safety, as the Stevens Point Police Department reported on Facebook in January 2021:

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Screenshot Facebook / Stevens Point Police Department

Spreading false news

Users who publish such status posts have most likely fallen victim to a phishing trap themselves and in reality have no connection to the allegedly kidnapped child or the fraudulent trap.

What happens when you click on the link?

Behind the links in the fake messages are malware or phishing pages that aim to obtain personal data or access data. If you click on the post, the trap appears in a popup:

Screenshot fake Facebook login
Screenshot fake Facebook login

If you enter your user data here, you will be handing it into the hands of the fraudsters behind the fake site. This means they have full access to the Facebook account. This means you can also access pages or groups that you run yourself or where you have admin rights.

How can you protect yourself?

  1. Be skeptical: Don't take every story at face value and check the credibility of posts, especially if they contain photos of missing children. Research information independently before clicking on links. In this case, a reverse image search provided information about the origin of the photo.
  2. Watch out for suspicious URLs: Carefully check the web address before entering your login details. Incorrect or fake URLs can indicate fraudulent intent. Make sure you are on the official Facebook website by entering the URL manually or accessing it through a trusted source.
  3. Use two-factor authentication: Enable this additional security factor to better protect your Facebook account. You will also receive a message if someone tries to log in from an unknown device.
  4. Report fraudulent posts: If you come across suspicious posts, report them to Facebook immediately. This will help ensure that such content is removed and other users are warned.
  5. Make your Facebook friends aware: If someone from your friends list posts such a message, alarm bells should ring. Contact the person and make them aware. Those affected should change their Facebook login details as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

Be careful with posts about missing children. Unfortunately, there are often fraudsters behind the frightening reports. Especially when the incident affects your own hometown, the bait is even more powerful. Here you can also check the police website to see whether there is a wanted report or a missing person report.

If you come across such a message on Facebook, you should be skeptical. If a login window opens, you should not enter your data!

This might also interest you:

Fact check: the taking into care of Ukrainian children in Germany
Why Facebook doesn't always immediately delete reported fake news
Sham instead of Shein: Fake competition is circulating on WhatsApp


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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 )