I don’t get it. A few people shared posts claiming the same photo of a child from different cities was missing. It got me looking into the phenomenon.

Law enforcement agencies are calling it a bait-and-switch scam. After the post gets widely shared, the creator will change it to the real purpose: malicious website, deceptive rental, or some means to separate people from their money.

These things also waste police time as there is no contact information. People call their local departments. I have found a few LE agencies asking people to do a bit more looking into these things before reaching out.

When to send

Example good one to share: Maria Gomez-Perez via Classic City News

Verified contact info: “Anyone with tips or any information is asked to call 770-503-3232 or email intelrequest@hallcounty.org.” One can lookup the phone number and email to make sure they belong to an agency involved in the search.

Most likely the agencies involved have social media and likely use it to inform the public. Check it’s legitimate there.

Details about when the child went missing: a date (not hours or days ago). A location.