The Scam Chaser

PART 1: HOW TO TELL IF IT’S A SCAM POST.

Scam posts tend to use engagement lines to suck us in to posting a reply. These lines are very often used in scam recipe groups for like farming. Below are the top 10 most used engagement lines in scams I’ve come across, so if you see one of these, there’s a good chance that it’s a scam!

1. Hello everyone, I am X years old, I made my own birthday cake with peach cream and filling, I started decorating cakes from 5 years old, I love it, and I can’t wait to grow my baking journey
2. Must express something to keep getting my recipes/posts
3. Recipe in comments/First (c.o.m.m.e.n.t ).
4. WARNING !!! DEAR MEMBERS, WE’RE FACING AN ISSUE WITH FACEBOOK IF YOU SEE THIS POST PLEASE SAY SOMETHING TO STAY IN THIS GROUP
5. We are removing scammers from the group, say anything to stay active
6. PLEASE S.A.Y S0METHING , IT HELPS Y0U C0NTINUE SEEING MY P0STS!
7. We are removing inactive members from the group, say anything to stay active
8. I NEED SOME PEOPLE TO SAY (YUMMY ) SO I CAN ADD THEIR NAMES TO THE ACTIVE MEMBER LIST
9. HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE STILL CARE ABOUT MY RECIPES RAISE HAND PLEASE
10. I'm making efforts to make this group serve its purpose (to share recipes). Kindly appreciate my efforts by saying something. This helps more eyes to see my posts.

This is a prime example of, and one of the most common forms of “Like Farming” you’ll find. They use an elderly person or a person that has an obvious disability to make us feel bad for them about how no one wished them a Happy Birthday. This technique is very successful, as I’ve seen 1000s of people falling for this and wishing the picture a ‘Happy Birthday’. Moral of the story, if you see the line in the picture below, it’s just like farming, and to avoid replying to it.

An example of one of the funniest like farms I’ve seen below. This is quite literally the actress Betty White who died in 2021, yet people still wish her a Happy Birthday.

If you want to know more about “Like Farming”, look at our pinned posts.

Thank you for showing interest in The Scam Chaser. This page is a hobby, and as I am working full time, posts or replies may be sporadic.

Please note that due to the nature of this page, I will not be accepting or responding to any private messages. If you wish to ask a question, please post it in a comment.

Thank you for your understanding! X

So what is "Like Farming"?

"Like farming" refers to a deceptive practice on social media where individuals or entities create posts with the intention of collecting a large number of likes, shares, and comments. The ultimate goal is often to exploit the popularity of the post for various purposes, such as spreading spam, phishing, or other malicious activities.

Here's how like farming typically works:
1. Seemingly Harmless Content: The like farmer creates a post with content designed to be appealing to a broad audience. This can include heartwarming or sad stories that pull at the heart string, cute pictures, sensational headlines, or controversial topics. Look at some of the images attached to this post for commonly used examples.
2. Engagement Bait: The content often includes a call to action, urging users to like, share, or comment. For example, very commons are ‘Must express something to keep getting my recipes/posts’, ‘Share if you agree’, ‘No one wished me happy birthday’, or ‘We are removing inactive members/scammers. Say anything to stay active’. The list is very long, but it’s very much the same premise.
3. Algorithm Exploitation: As more people engage with the post by liking, sharing, or commenting, the post gains visibility and reaches a larger audience. Social media algorithms tend to promote content that receives high engagement.
4. Malicious Intent: Once the post has gained a significant number of interactions and has reached a large audience, the like farmer may edit the post or add malicious content, such as links to phishing sites, scams, or malware.
5. Monetization: In some cases, the goal is to generate revenue through advertising or other means. The like farmer might sell the popular page to another entity that can use it for spamming or other unethical purposes. Or they use these posts to direct you to their websites or a google document link (more on this to come later).

To avoid falling victim to like farming schemes, it's important to be cautious about engaging with posts from unknown or suspicious sources. Users should be skeptical of sensational or clickbait content and refrain from interacting with posts that request likes, shares, or comments without genuine, informative, or entertaining content.