Facebook community groups are being bombarded with photos of crocheted rugs, flowers and animals as part of an underhand real estate marketing scam.
Genuine users are encouraged to compliment the skills of the person who knitted a crochet piece and share the images with friends.
But the innocent-looking crochet patterns are not all they seem.
The posts are later changed to real estate advertisements with suspicious links.
Previous comments, likes and shares on the original crochet post help scammers boost their real estate advertisements to a larger audience.
This Facebook post (archived here), for example, previously displayed a picture of crochet but was later edited to spruik unrealistically cheap real estate.
Historical changes to the content can be seen by clicking the three dots at the top-right corner of the post and then ‘View edit history’.
The edit history reveals it previously read: “I took a picture of my new pattern. It’s simple, but I made it with all my heart. I hope I get some compliments here in the group. I will be very happy!”
The post was subsequently changed to a real estate advertisement on February 18, 2023.
The original crochet photo was replaced by four photos of a house.
AAP FactCheck found many other examples of Facebook posts that originally showed crochet patterns but were later changed to real estate adverts, including here, here, here and here.
A Facebook search for the phrase “I took a picture of my new pattern” reveals a stream of fake crochet posts using the exact same wording to attract attention.
Other scam posts ask for compliments about crochet patterns supposedly knitted by family members (see, for example, here and here).
AAP FactCheck previously warned Facebook users about fake appeals for help circulating in online community groups, often based on pleas for help with injured pets or lost children.
Fake posts on community Facebook groups are often accompanied by several clues the content should be treated with caution.
The profiles that post the content are usually new accounts with no history of genuine Facebook activity.
Sometimes they list their location as a city in a different country than the community group they joined.
Additionally, the comments on fake posts are nearly always disabled, preventing savvy Facebook users from warning others the content should not be trusted.
A representative for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission previously told AAP FactCheck via email that the purpose of fake posts was often “to elicit money or personal information from you for the purpose of identity theft”.
The Verdict
Facebook posts encouraging people to give feedback about crochet knitting patterns are fake. The posts are scams designed to elicit user interaction that boosts the visibility of the content.
The posts are then edited to become real estate advertisements with suspicious links.
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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