Learn how you can contribute to the campaign against such scams

Jul 5, 2012 11:46 GMT  ·  By

As many of our readers may already know, there’s an ongoing campaign against the sharing of Facebook hoaxes that involve children. However, unfortunately, there are still a large number of internauts who really believe that companies will donate money each time they share the picture of a sick baby.

The latest scam claims that Facebook will donate $1.2 (1 EUR) for each time the post is shared.

“She's suffering form cancer! Facebook has promised to give $1.20 Dollars on each share! Please, share and make it (sic),” the phony message reads.

As always, Facebook will not hand out any money for sharing such hoaxes. Furthermore, as Brett M. Christensen highlights, the picture may have been taken from a Spanish website where it was posted in 2007.

“The cretin who created this hoax undoubtedly stole the child's picture and used it in the hoax message without the permission or knowledge of the little girl's parents or carers,” Christensen writes.

Remember, you’re not doing anyone any good by sharing these posts. No one will donate money if you spread it. Instead, your actions will cause a lot of grief to the children’s families.

Just think about it for a second. Would you like it if your sick child’s picture ended up all over the Internet?

When presented with pictures of children suffering from a disease, the best thing you can do is report them to Facebook. Also, notify the one that started spreading it, as many people don’t do it with ill intent, they’re simply unaware.

The worst thing you can do in these situations is to leave a comment or share it. The less attention we give to these scams, the more likely they’ll disappear.

More information on the campaign against sick baby hoaxes and how you can contribute is available here.

Some of those who support the campaign have also put together a Facebook page.