Attention: Collect fraudsters in the district for animal welfare!

Attention: Collect fraudsters in the district for animal welfare!

Greifswald, Deutschland - In the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, a fraudulent stitch is up to mischief. People who pretend to be members of the Vorpommern-Greifswald e.V. But that's all just a bluff. The real animal rescue warns of these fraudsters on your Facebook page and clarifies that real animal rescuers do not collect donations unannounced on front doors, but only by prior agreement. If you meet these dubious collectors, the animal rescue asks for information on 0151-21446269 or directly with the police. The aim of this warning is to prevent abuse and support real animal welfare.

The animal rescue in reality offers telephone advice, helps in emergencies with animals found and even saves large animals. Modern technology is also used: search dogs and drones are mobilized to find missing animals. However, this commitment can be endangered by the fraudsters who rely on the good faith of people.

fakes in animal welfare: a widespread phenomenon

This incident in Vorpommern-Greifswald is only the tip of the iceberg. According to a report by Welt Tiersc Hutz, the spread of fake animal rescue videos on social media is a growing problem. A group called Social Media Animal Cruethy Coalition (SMACC) found that over 605 videos of staged rescues were collected on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok in just three months. These videos show animals in dangerous situations, which were often placed there by the creators to generate clicks and advertising revenue.

Almost 68 % of the fake rescue content show the animals in acute dangerous situations before they are "saved"-which does not really correspond to a rescue. In addition, 49.3 % of the people depicted had no suitable equipment. Mammals are often particularly affected, such as cats and dogs, as the spectators can see in the often emotionally charged videos. The scandalous scenarios reach record visitors: these videos have been viewed over 572 million times. World Animal Protection also uncovered the insufficient moderation of such content: only 25 % of the reported videos were quickly removed.

Caution of animal welfare fakes!

The SMACC developed the so-called A.R.C. test to recognize fakes. It is checked whether a legitimate animal welfare organization is involved (authenticity) whether the situation is realistic (reality test) and whether the action is repeated in several videos of the same creator (creation). Spectators are stopped, videos that seem too shocking or too good to be true, questioning and not sharing. It is important to be aware that animals may be exploited for profit and not really saved.

In times when animal welfare beats high waves and more and more people want to help, a sharp view of such activities is essential. Real animal welfare work needs every supporting euro, while fraudsters are only interested in the quick profit. Stay vigilant and help prevent abuse!