POSTS about a missing girl named Gracie Mae Thompson have been circulating on the web since August 2024.
But there have been no official reports of his disappearance and online detectives say he was faked as part of a phishing scam.
Is Gracie Mae Thompson really a missing girl?
Gracie’s story has touched the hearts of many.
But Gracie is unlikely to be a real missing girl, according to Malware tips who called the supposed strategy a “missing girl scam.”
Is Gracie Mae Thompson an Internet Scam?
The mysterious case of Gracie May is very possibly a hoax, say malware tips.
Gracie typically appears as a Facebook post featuring a photo of a young teenage girl.
The image is accompanied by an urgent appeal for help finding the allegedly missing child.
The post states that the 15-year-old went missing from Texas on July 22, 2024, and includes some identifying details such as height, weight, hair color and what she was last seen wearing.
Scammers have been sharing the same girl’s photo on Facebook pages and groups.
They often use slight variations of the name, such as “Graci May Thompson” or “Gracie Mae Thompson”.
Posts use emotives language to attract people and increase the chances that well-intentioned individuals will share the content.
But there are several telltale signs that Gracie’s disappearance is a hoax rather than a legitimate missing person case.
Firstly, the post lacks a clear call to action with instructions on what to do if someone has information about the missing girl’s whereabouts.
Most genuine missing person alerts will direct people to contact law law enforcement or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
And the alleged missing person case has not been published in any reputable media outlet or recognized by authorities, despite the post claiming that Gracie has been missing for over two weeks.
The use of emoticons it also casts doubt on the legitimacy of the story.
Finally, some variations of the post link to suspicious sites that deploy adware and attempt to force visitors to disable their VPN and ad blocking software.
Missed posts also increased in Facebook buy/sell groups rather than personal pages.
What is a phishing scam?
Phishing occurs when criminals use fraudulent emails, texts, or phone calls to trick their victims.
Often, the goal is to get victims to visit a website, which can download a virus onto their computer, or steal banking details or other personal information.
The Gracie Mae Thompson missing girl scam is a classic example of similar farming, where fraudsters create emotive, shocking, or controversial content with the goal of generating as many likes, comments, and shares as possible.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
