Users in community forums across the country, and in Michigan, have seen an uptick of scams online, and local Facebook groups have become a target for those who are just trying to 'help out' when they see these posts.

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What is the Facebook Scam going around local groups in Michigan?

One of the most prevalent scams relies on users sharing a post from a local group. Buy/Sell Groups, Yardsale Groups, and Community 'Informed' pages that are run by local users are frequently targeted with some type of 'plea' from the original poster for help.

What are some of the red flags on Facebook Community Posts that show it's a scam?

Many of these posts try to pull on the heartstrings of users so that the image will be spread quickly and without much thought. Alleged crimes, false reports of lost family members, and lost or hurt pets are frequently used in these scam posts.

Facebook/Screenshot
Facebook/Screenshot
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What is an example of a scam post I might see on a Facebook group page?

The following post is typical of the types of scam posts you might find. It was recently posted in the East Grand Rapids Yard Sale page and quickly amassed hundreds of shares.

Facebook/Screenshot
Facebook/Screenshot
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What happens when I share a scam post like this?

Oftentimes after a post is shared many times the original post is edited with different text and links to unsafe websites or scam pages. As the post appears to have been shared by a trusted friend, many are then duped into clicking those links.

Below is an example of one of these posts AFTER it has been edited by the scammers:

Facebook/Screenshot
Facebook/Screenshot
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These links are always a scam and should never be clicked. So make sure that you think twice before sharing a Facebook post and unwittingly scamming your friends and family.

LOOK: The biggest scams today and how you can protect yourself from them

Using data from the BBB Scam Tracker Annual Risk Report, Stacker identified the most common and costly types of scams in 2022.