We’re seeing a growing trend of internet scammers on farm pages. It seems to grow every day as they try to gain entry into groups. Here are some of the signs to look for.
- Personal, Group, or Page. Facebook has 3 types of profiles. Personal is what most people have. It’s you. A Group is for like-minded people to exchange information. A Page is more like a business profile, except you don’t have to be a real business. It’s like the Personal profile, but for the business. Our farm, Happy Wife Acres, is a Page. If someone posts to sell something and it’s not a person’s name, check to see if they are a Page or Personal. A personal page with a farm name is a HUGE red flag.
- Vague Information. If you are interested in buying from a Page, go to their profile. If you can’t find a location, phone, and email, it’s another red flag. If someone asks “Where are you located?”, the answer was “Sent you a PM”. Really? If you’re talking to someone who wants to sell, but won’t admit publicly where they are located. STOP and keep scrolling.
- New Profile. Another red flag. If the profile was created very recently, STOP. If you scroll through their profile and you see 20 posts of beautiful animal pictures all posted on the same day, STOP, it’s not real! Sometimes you’ll see kids holding an animal in the profile picture. It’s not their kid! STOP. Real farms start small and post gradually over time. No real farm waits until they have 200 animals of 10 different varieties to say “Hey, maybe I should start a Facebook page”. Also, look at the pictures closely. Are the backgrounds similar? Do they look too professional? Is there green grass and leaves in January? Do you get the feeling you’ve seen that picture somewhere else?? You probably have because they were all copied from other postings.
- Reviews. Check them. Anyone should be able to post a review of a Page. We homesteaders aren’t shy about posting if a page looks fake. By the way, you can’t review a Personal profile, so if you can’t find the Reviews button, you’re looking at a personal profile dressed to look like a Page.
- Wants a Deposit. If you decide you want to buy and the seller wants a deposit, resist. Tell them to give you an address and you’re on the way. Or ask for a recent picture of the animal. If they push back, it’s a scam. If you make the deposit, DO NOT use any personal transfers. If they say their business account is all messed up, it’s a scam. If you transfer money over something like Venmo, Cash App, etc., using a personal payment, say goodbye to the money. The bird/bunny/coop doesn’t exist. The seller doesn’t exist. And you’re not protected. Want to know what will make you forget about the most beautiful peacock you’ve ever seen? Losing a $100 deposit to a scammer!
Please be careful! Investigate and look for the warning signs before you get excited about the perfect addition to your farm. Know the signs, and be ready to walk away.