Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

Kathleen Ballinger Missing Officers Facebook Scam
Kathleen Ballinger Missing Officers Facebook Scam

Officers Ballinger and "Beasley" are not missing. There is a scam with pictures of both officers with an urgent alert claiming they are missing. This appears to be part of a social media group bait-and-switch scam that hashtags a city and disables comments. It is often used by scammers to sell fake or stolen items and collect payment without delivering.

The Missing Officers Facebook Scams

Missig Officer Ballinger Facebook Scam

Missig Officer Beasley Facebook Scam

A lot of times you will see injured dogs, missing kids or the elderly on these types of posts. After you share the post, the scammer changes the original post to a deceptive rental ad or a sales pitch. These bait-and-switch ads aim to either get a deposit for a rental property before the user gets a chance to see the home—or get your personal information, which could lead to identity theft.

Do yourself a favor and do some digging before re-sharing the post. If it's legit, you would see it right here on our page or see it on the news wherever you live. The easiest thing to look for is if the comments have been turned off. You could also do a reverse image search on Google and see how many times the photo was used in a post or ad and see the different cities that were tagged.

These particular posts spread like wildfire, we ask that you report them as you see them.

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