Mankato Police warn of social media scams

Mankato police are warning the public of a series of scams circulating on social media.

The posts share false information about injured people or pets, lost children, and alleged thefts, and are tagged with #Mankato and #Minnesota.  People share the posts, thinking they are helping, but the post is then edited to go to another site, such as a rental ad, survey link, or information on a cash prize.

“This places the user and whomever they shred the post with at risk for identity theft or financial fraud,” investigators caution.

Police recommend reviewing a poster’s profile before sharing a post to determine if it is a scam.  Watch for posts with comments that are turned off, or profiles with few to no friends or followers. A profile with a lack of information or one that hasn’t been on the platform for long is also a warning sign.

Investigators say copying and pasting the text of a post into an online search engine can help determine if it is a scam or not.  Photos used in posts can be used in a reverse image search to see if the photo has previously been posted online.

If a scam is suspected, social media users are encouraged to call police at (507) 387-8725.