Is there a teenager named "Graci Mae Thompson" missing in several locations at the same time? No, that's not true: This is a bait-and-switch scam. In such scams, users on social media post stories that they then edit to display supposed real estate offerings.
In one instance, the claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook in a group called ABERDEEN/MONROE COUNTY..THEN & NOW on August 7, 2024. The Facebook group's stated purpose is to highlight the "past and present" of Aberdeen, Mississippi. The post included two images of a teenage girl and text that read:
My daughter has been missing since July 22nd! 16 days🥹
It only takes two seconds to share! #aberdeen Her name is: Graci Mae Thompson. Age:15 Height: 5'2 Weight: 103 Hair color: Originally strawberry blonde but recently dyed black She was last seen in black shorts and a black shirt.
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Aug 14 15:04 2024 UTC)
'Graci Mae Thompson'
There were several other posts with the same photos and wording about "Graci Mae Thompson" made by other users and published in different Facebook groups. For example, another post (archived here) made on Facebook on August 7, 2024, claimed that a girl with that name was missing in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
However, there is no evidence that a teen named "Graci Mae Thompson" is missing. Lead Stories searched using keywords on Google News, visible here, which found no credible documents or reporting to corroborate the story. We also used Google's reverse image search feature, visible here and here, to search for the two images used in the posts. However, the searches did not generate any results that provided new information about the real identity of the girl featured in the pictures.
It appears that the information in the post is only being used to lure people into a real estate scheme.
A post (archived here) on Facebook on August 8, 2024, is an example of how the information will likely be edited in the other "Graci Mae Thompson" posts. Although the post advertises real estate at the time of the writing of this fact check, it previously showed the "Graci Mae Thompson" information, claiming that she was missing in Baltimore. Screenshots showing the changes to media -- the photos -- and the location are included below:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Aug 14 15:31:10 2024 UTC)
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Aug 14 15:29:58 2024 UTC)
Real estate scam posts
Real estate scam posts are a tactic used on Facebook by spammers that employ "bait-and-switch" content to lure people into a scam. A post's creator will pair an alarming or heart-wrenching claim with a compelling image to catch people's attention -- missing children or aging adults, injured animals, injured people in hospital beds and sex trafficking tactics -- and drive engagement.
Once a post has garnered sufficient attention, the content switches to push a deceptive real estate advertisement. The wording and images of these eye-catching posts, typically seen on local Facebook "yard sale" pages," are frequently identical, even when the offered property is located in different cities, regions of the U.S. or countries.
The content switch is clearly documented by a post's edit history, which also notes additions or deletions of content. In some instances time stamps on the posts indicate when the switches were made but on some posts, timestamps don't change even though the content does.
Commonly, such posts use links that lead to landing pages with disclaimers or false promises and contact information requests that can be used to gather personal data, including financial information, from people who follow the trails.
Some links purport to connect people to a U.S. Housing and Urban Development site to help them search for deals on foreclosed homes. Lead Stories found the links lead to new sites that carry disclosures at the bottom of the page that note they are "not affiliated with, endorsed, authorized, or approved by the Federal Government or the US Department of Housing and Urban Development."
Other fact checks
Other Lead Stories fact checks related to such bait-and-switch scams are found here.
