Women who 'don't have a butterfly tattoo' targeted by social media scammers
feed_watermarkSeptember 23, 2024
A scam targeting women who don't have a specific type of tattoo has emerged on social media. Image by Facebook/AAP
AAP FACTCHECK - Women who don't have a butterfly tattoo could get thousands of dollars just by clicking on a link, social media users claim.
This is false. The posts are part of a scam pushing people to visit suspicious promotional websites.
Dozens of Facebook posts are linked to the scam, all featuring similar wording.
"We got $9800 for any Female that doesn't have a Butterfly tattoo," one post said.
Another post said: "I got $62000 for any female that doesn't have a butterfly tattoo and she's older than 45 years of age!".
Most posts asked people to click a link provided in the comments to claim the "prize".
The posts appear to mention the term 'butterfly tattoo' to increase engagement.
The posts linked to websites asking users to provide their contact details, complete various surveys and buy products.
The websites do not mention the thousands of dollars promised in the original Facebook posts.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission previously toldAAP FactCheck that fake Facebook posts were intended "to elicit money or personal information from you for the purpose of identity theft".
Most posters asked users who responded to contact them privately.
Scammers have crafted thousands of posts encouraging people to share and click nefarious links.
That means you may be tricked into a scam, or advertising a scam to your family and friends on Facebook without realising it.
That's why it's vital to know how to spot a potential scam post.
HOW TO SPOT A SCAM POST ON FACEBOOK - THE RED FLAGS
Treat posts appealing for help to find lost or found people or pets, offering extremely cheap or free products and services with caution if they include more than one of the following features:
* The person encourages everyone to share their post widely.
* They don't provide their contact details or they ask people to send them a DM or PM (direct message or private message).
* The post includes only very vague details about the location of the person or pet, or the giveaway.
* If the account of the person posting is less than a year old, has no profile picture, has very few friends, or isn't located in the same area as the subject of their post. This indicates their account is fake.
* If you can't comment on the post because the person has disabled comments. This is done to stop people from warning others that it's a scam.
Every AAP FactCheck article is the result of a meticulous process involving numerous experienced journalists and producers. Our articles are thoroughly researched, carefully crafted and rigorously scrutinised to ensure the highest standard of accuracy and objectivity in every piece.
