It feels like we are hearing about a new scam every few days.

In just the last few weeks, we have all learned about the 'slider' scam, the 'smishing' scam, and the scammers who attempted to impersonate Central Maine Power employees.

While most scams have the goal of stealing something, usually money, from the target, the latest scam is just about spreading fear throughout the target community.

 

dole777 / Unsplash
dole777 / Unsplash
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The Story of Ryan Edward and Alice Chapman

Over the last few weeks, a scam involving Ryan Edward and Alice Chapman has been spreading throughout the country.

The scam, which is spread through shared Facebook posts, claims that a husband and wife serial killer team has murdered three female law enforcement officers in the target state.  The post explains that they are armed and are now breaking into vehicles and attacking the elderly.  In most cases, the post goes on to say that the duo should not be approached.  The post also suggests that you should share the post to help spread the word.

While it may seem legit, it is just a scam.

According to a recent article in Newsweek, authorities in Texas have come forward to say that the story of Ryan Edward and his wife Alice is completely fabricated.  It was created and shared with the goal of spreading fear.

A quick Google search shows that the hoax/scam seems to have spread to all corners of the country.

For example, earlier today, I saw a similar post being shared on Maine Facebook groups.  However, instead of the claim being that Edward and Chapman killed three female members of law enforcement in Texas, the killings reportedly happened in Maine.

Fortunately, most Facebook group admins are quick to realize these posts are scams and delete them soon after they are posted.

 

Lloyd Strack

The scam about Ryan Edward and Alice Chapman is not the first time in recent weeks we have heard scam stories involving serial killers.

A few weeks ago, posts were circulating in Facebook groups in Florida about a serial killer named Lloyd Strack.

 

How is it a Scam?

In addition to spreading fear, it is also a bait & switch scam.

According to a Kansas-based news Facebook page, the scam portion kicks in after the post has been shared numerous times.  After it has been shared, the scammers change the text of the post.  Once edited, it no longer warns people about serial killers.  Instead, it promotes a fake contest or other phishing scam.

 

Have you seen any Facebook posts pertaining to these scams?

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