&Quot;Bait&Quot; And &Quot;Switch&Quot;

Has police Deputy Tyler Cooper in a town called Surprise found a 2-year-old boy wandering alone, and can't the police find his mother named Ella? No, that's not true: The "deputy" in the post is not listed by name on either the Surprise, Arizona, police department or county sheriff's department websites. The person who posted the story blotted out the…

Did social-media posts share the true story of a 32-year-old man named Kyle Thomas, for whom "a silver alert" was issued after he reportedly "went missing" in Omaha, Nebraska? No, that's not true: As of this writing, Nebraska had not issued a missing-persons alert for a person named Kyle Thomas. The posts about "Kyle Thomas" are part of a scam…

Is a social media post saying that a girl "approximately 3 years old" was found by "Deputy Amy Braidley" authentic? No, that's not true: This is a bait-and-switch post that sends readers to a real estate ad. Lead Stories has previously debunked similar posts with a 3-year-old being found in different locations across the country, each time by a deputy…

Are social media posts about a 3-year-old girl named Mila, who supposedly went missing and was saved by "Deputy Sara Thomas" in several locations simultaneously, authentic? No, that's not true: This is a common bait-and-switch scam in which social media users post heart-tugging stories they later edit to display supposed real estate offerings. The same post often circulates under the…

Are social media posts about a missing teenager named "Kaitlin Whoolery" authentic? No, that's not true: Whoolery died in April 2024, but posts about her disappearance were still being posted in September 2024. These posts about Whoolery are part of a "bait-and-switch" tactic commonly used on Facebook where heart-wrenching stories are swapped out for scams involving real estate ads after…

Are social media posts about a teenager named "Seven Whiteman," who supposedly went missing in several locations simultaneously, authentic? No, that's not true: This bait-and-switch post flips to a real estate ad. While the teen in the post's photos is a real girl who went missing, she was found on August 28, 2024, and was missing only in Tennessee. The…

Did social media posts share the true story of a 79-year-old dad named Scott Doucette who was missing in Bristol, Connecticut, and several other places? No, that's not true: There is no active silver alert in Connecticut for a man named Scott Doucette. The posts are part of a known deception to trick people into sharing a post that will…

Were posts on Facebook about an "approximately 3 year old" toddler an authentic try to find the boy's parents? No, that's not true: Those posts were a version of an already debunked bait-and-switch scheme involving scam real-estate ads. The scam targets people with low incomes and tricks them into disclosing sensitive personal information. The ruse resurfaced in a post (archived…

Are social media posts about 16-year-old "Paul Ferrara" genuine calls for help in a missing person case? No, that's not true: These posts were flipped to "rent-to-own" scam posts shortly after publication. The supposedly missing teenager was described as "the son of a local police officer" in multiple U.S. locations. Lead Stories found no public confirmation as of August 30,…

Are social media posts about a fruitless three-day search to find the owners of a lost dog authentic? No, that's not true: These are bait-and-switch posts that flip to real estate ads. Identical images of a "really depressed" dog in a cage have appeared in posts on Facebook in cities and states miles apart. All these posts ask users to…