"RIP Young woman who died…" — the touching viral hoax to deceive
In recent months, dozens of posts with similar titles have appeared on social media:
“RIP 😭😭😭 Young woman dies from blows inflicted by her… See more”
At first glance, it looks like a tragic news story: a poignant text, a photo of a young woman, and a somber tone. But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that it's a fake post, created to garner likes, shares, and clicks.
⚠️ What are these posts hiding?
These posts are described as "engagement bait." They exploit emotions like sympathy and outrage to encourage internet users to interact.
The text is often punctuated with "See more" or "Read more", and the comments link to a dubious site that asks for personal data, passwords or displays advertisements.
The photos in these posts most often come from other sources, unrelated to the event described. In some cases, they are even artificially generated or stolen from personal profiles.
🔍 How to recognize fake news