Hey, I know this is literally out of the blue but im asking for some emergency help for my cats current situation. Please boost/share it for us so that we could get some traction or it could reach more people. I understand if its not okay, so sorry for taking some of your time and I wish you to be safe and healthy, xx.(Please considering answering my ask privately or probably send me a msg! 😭🙏
look drcember, not to be mean but a blog that only came into existence 15 hours ago, reblogged a bunch of random fandom and cat stuff then suddenly has a cat emergency that needs a reblog and a private reply screams scam in every way conceivable.
But hey, you followed me 2 seconds before sending the message so kudos for trying to negate that massive red flag?
If by some miraculous chance you aren't a scammer then you should know this entire setup has ensured that everyone is going to assume that you are.
For folks new to tumblr, begging for help for a sick pet/family member is an unfortunately common scam that goes around frequently, and is why I don't reblog donation posts from randos. I highly recommend being exceedingly wary of anyone begging in your inbox.
Elodiunderglass and Vaspider have both done excellent posts on how to spot scams, but let me reiterate; there is no cat/dog/bird/sibling/child/parent/grandparent/etc, especially if;
🚩 Their blog only just popped into existence in the past few days - so no way to know what kind of person they are or if they even have the thing they're claiming they need money to save.
🚩 They don't or just started following you - meaning they found your name randomly and just decided to message you out of the blue. Why? Well, have you donated or reblogged a charity post? Did something you post go viral? Are you a mutual with people who go viral on a regular basis?
🚩 They ask for a private response to their message, but want you to publicly reblog their charity posts. This gives them and the post an air of legitimacy, that you found the post on your own (meaning you follow them) and decided it was valid enough to pass on to your followers.
Inconsistencies in their stories/posts might be minor but are huge red flags. A few examples: 🚩 being very vague about the issue but insisting it is an urgent emergency, 🚩 not using the name of the pet/person in the post, 🚩 they'll say you can send money directly to the caregivers but then only give you their personal donation links, 🚩 not having any mention of the creature/issue on their blog before the sudden need for a large sum of money.
and recognize that they have probably sent this same message to a ton of other random, viral/charity post people at the same time. 🚩🚩🚩
It's okay to be wary and not engage with those you feel are trying to scam you. If you're really worried, reverse image search the "proof" and the paypal/cashapp links. Are there other posts on other blogs with the same links but different names/causes? Are there posts on other sites about the issue but with completely different links? All confirmations of scamming.
Even if there's nothing concrete, you're still allowed to say no. Even if it's a real need! You are not obligated to donate to random strangers on the internet, please don't let anyone convince you that you are.
Save your time and money by being generous with your friends and family and local causes, or actual charities like food banks, doctors without borders, local shelters, etc.
