Police warn of a bait-and-switch scam on the Suncoast
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
BPD
SCAM ALERT! We’ve blurred the photo because it is of a Texas police officer who died in 2018. This “bait-and-switch” scam has circulated for many years. Bait-and-switch scams are shared in Facebook groups and usually feature missing persons or injured animals. The posts urge people to share the posts and often include the phrase, “only takes two seconds to share.” After enough people share the posts, the original post switches to a deceptive rental ad, a sales pitch, or a link to a survey that “guarantees” a cash prize. The scam aims to get money or personal information from people.
Common red flags:
The post does not come from a legitimate law enforcement agency. Includes only a # for location (i.e. #Bradenton). No contact information for tips. Spelling errors. Comments turned off.
