Expert warns of scam spikes during times of crisis
GOLDEN TRIANGLE (WCBI) – A social media post has been circulating featuring a damaged vehicle from a local utility and an injured man.
Tuesday morning, the company addressed the post, letting customers know that the injured person was not one of its employees.
It’s accessible, it’s convenient, but it’s not always true.
People often turn to social media in times of crisis for updates — leaving room for scams and misinformation to spread.
False information has spread about two agencies that serve the area in the past week.
“We see a lot of misinformation, we see a lot of scams on social media. Partly because they are so easy to do because there is very little effort required to put something up that’s misinformation or a scam,” said Dr. Barry Smith, professor and chair of Communication at Mississippi for Women.
The misinformation that was spread implied the winter storm was the cause of the incidents.
Smith said it’s common for scams to rise during hard times.
“Anytime there is a crisis situation, that is an opportunity. Particularly for those are financial scammers, who like to say ‘Oh, there’s this crisis…so we’re going to post GoFundMes…’ that may or may not be fraudulent,” said Smith.
In these times, emotions run high and people tend to panic at the first sight of information.
“I always recommend people not to allow your emotions to get the better of you when you read something online, or see something, even a video. It may be ai-generated. Exercise the same restraint you would if you meet someone in the street and they told you something,” said Smith.
And even if a post is shared by someone you know, Smith suggests fact-checking the information before you believe the post or reshare it yourself.
“Take everything with a grain of salt and verify things. Go to a reliable news source,” said Smith.
If information is shared about a company, he recommends only believing the post or text if it comes from the actual business.
With AI increasing and more technology advancing, Smith said it’s even more important to fact-check information shared.
