ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WHAT THE TECH?) —  Social media spreads information quickly, and scammers use it to their advantage.

Jamey Tucker shares a viral post about a missing police officer that’s actually a scam, and how sharing it could put your account in jeopardy. 

It certainly looks legit and urgent, asking people to share it on Facebook to help find missing police officer Carolyn Lynch. It closes with “it takes just two seconds to share” and tugs at our emotions, and that’s exactly the point.

Posts like this are called “engagement bait,” designed to get you to like, comment, and share without thinking twice.

This particular post has multiple variations, placing Officer Lynch in police departments across the country: North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Texas, and Ohio. Otherwise, each post is identical and being shared over and over again. 

There are a few telltale signs it’s fake: First, a quick Google search reveals no missing police officer by that name. And all of the posts come from newly-created Facebook profiles. A Google Lens search even shows the profile picture comes from a free stock photo library.

Another red flag? Almost all of these posts are closed for comments because the scammer doesn’t want people calling out the hoax.

But what’s the scam? It’s not asking for money and doesn’t include links. So what’s the scammer’s end game? One possibility: they’re building a list of Facebook users who are easy to trick, targeting people who share these posts with even more dangerous scams later. 

Once you engage, scammers swoop in with fake offers and phishing links. They’re also sneaking into Buy and Sell Facebook groups — easy targets because it’s simple to join. 

Before you share a Facebook post that sounds urgent and pulls at your emotions, do a quick Google search to verify it’s real. And if you manage a Facebook page for a group, be selective on who you allow to join.