Read on Twitter
Saw some folks concerned about scammers requesting mutual aid help so here's some things I look for:
The most obvious scam accounts are all retweets, entries into giveaways, and asking for help. Little to no original content.
The most obvious scam accounts are all retweets, entries into giveaways, and asking for help. Little to no original content.
Scroll back through the timeline - have they been posting the same story for longer than is logical? It's been a rough year, so someone may still be having the same trouble now that they did in March, but if they've been $127 short on rent this whole time, maybe a red flag.
This one might be harder to see if you're not getting a high volume of requests, but multiple accounts post the same stories word for word. A common one right now involves needing $217 for insulin.
Keep in mind that some scammers will just copy the story from a successful GFM, so even if there are multiple versions making the rounds, one could still be true.
I don't harass anyone, publicly call anyone out, or accuse anyone of anything. At the end of the day, I'm never 100% sure enough to risk damaging someone's chances of getting the help they need if I'm wrong.
Instead, if someone asks me to retweet their GFM or whatever and I have doubts, I send them a polite message. Here's an example:
"Howdy! I'd love to help, but I think you might be having trouble getting donations because you don't have many interactions that aren't asking for help/entering giveaways.
That looks sketchy to people. It sucks, 'cause the last thing I'd want to do if I really needed help would be to idly chit-chat with people on twitter. But there are a ton of scammers on here and anybody involved in mutual aid gets hit by them all the time.
I think the best way for me to effectively help you, would be to privately vet your story and then I can retweet you with a note saying I vouch for you."
The scammers never bother to respond.
That's it, I guess. Feel free to critique or add your own tips. I just don't want people sitting out because they're afraid of losing a few bucks to scammers. I'd always rather err on the side of helping folks.
That's it, I guess. Feel free to critique or add your own tips. I just don't want people sitting out because they're afraid of losing a few bucks to scammers. I'd always rather err on the side of helping folks.
Oh, the grammar Nazi in me has trouble with this one, but try to disregard poor spelling/grammar. Nigerian prince emails conditioned us to scrutinize poorly worded requests, but in this context it's to be expected. Some of the folks who need help aren't native English speakers.
