Exploiting Photos of Children: A Heartbreaking Deception

Exploiting Photos of Children, a heart-wrenching scam, has recently been circulating on various Facebook groups. It showed a small child, aged around three years, with swollen eyes, bloody scratches, and bruises on his face. The accompanying post claimed that this little boy was found wandering alone, and no one had come forward to claim him.

My immediate reaction was anger and sadness for the child, and my first instinct was to share the photo to help find his parents. However, I soon discovered that this post was part of a cruel scam, Exploiting Photos of Children, designed to manipulate emotions and deceive people. This is not only shameful but deeply shocking.

Here’s why this scam exists.

The scam involves Exploiting Photos of Children with false claims of abandonment or abuse to elicit emotional responses from viewers. The claim that the child was found wandering alone accompanies the exploiting photos. Despite this, and although the child is now in police custody, no one has come forward to claim them. These photos are shared across different states and groups with identical wording, aiming to maximize their reach and engagement.

These scams not only manipulate emotions but also erode trust within online communities. Consequently, people who believe these posts are genuine may experience significant emotional distress. Once scammers achieve enough interest and engagement, they often update the post. Subsequently, they change the wording to compel those who are already emotionally affected to donate more money. This manipulative tactic preys on the viewers’ heightened emotional state, thereby making them more likely to contribute financially. As a result, the financial implications can be significant, with scammers potentially profiting from these deceptive practices.

Exploiting Photos of Children. What can we do to combat these scams?

Always verify the authenticity of emotionally charged social media posts to protect yourself and others from such scams.

Tools we can use:

Key word Search in Facebook

• Use reverse image search to check if the photos have been used elsewhere.

• We will also perform a keyword search of the post’s text on social media platforms to see if the same message is being circulated in other cities and states.
• Contact local authorities to confirm the claims. Report suspicious posts to the social media platform and relevant authorities.

Please share this blog post to help spread awareness about this scam. It is crucial for vigilance and critical evaluation of a post’s authenticity to occur before any reaction or sharing. Furthermore, the right keywords should be selected when using the search feature. In addition, the authenticity of suspicious posts can be verified through this method. Moreover, my post on selecting keywords provides further guidance. Therefore, it should be consulted to enhance your verification efforts.