Copy Cats

The copy cats have started already.  Or should I say in this case, the copy kittens have started. 

If you've been on social media at all here lately, no doubt you've heard about the construction crew that rescued the kitten from the heavy equipment, then made her the official company mascot.  If you are smart and are avoiding social media, you can watch her story here: 

It's a wonderful story, isn't it?

This morning, one of my kind hearted but too trusting friends posted this to her Facebook page. 

It is a pretty obvious copy kitten of Sue's story.  Still, it fooled my well meaning but somewhat naive friend.  I spent all day thinking about this, and figured it was time to post a brief lesson in how to tell a fake story from a real one.  Now, keep in mind, this is not comprehensive -- just a few tips to help you not be scammed. 

OK, ready?  

1.  In the story of Sue, there is actual video -- of the kitten trapped in the excavator, of the man opening the bottom, of the kitten falling out.  

In the meme, despite the claim, there is no video linked, and no amount of searching led me to this story. In fact, when I did try to find the video, it took me to videos of Sue.  

2.  In Sue's story, there are names.  The name of the company, the name of the town it's located in, the names of the brothers who own the construction company, even what they named the kitten.  All of this is verifiable information. 

In the UPS story, there are no names -- not of the driver, the cat, or the town he delivers in.   Just a generic delivery driver.

3.  The photos of Sue are genuine.  The photos and video of the men who rescued and adopted her are genuine.  The story has been posted to multiple legitimate news sites. 

The photo of the UPS driver and his kitten are clearly AI.  It even says it's AI on the Facebook post.  If it were a legit story, there would be legit photos and the video that was mentioned in the meme would be out there...somewhere.  

4.  Sue the kitten tugs at your heartstrings in an authentic way.  It's such a heartwarming story. 

That one line in the meme, the one that claims his coworkers posted the video to mock him, is meant to tug at your emotions in a slimy, deceptive way.  That is the end game here -- to manipulate you into sharing in order to boost their page stats.  

There you go, four simple tricks to help you spot a fake story.  As I said before, this is not a comprehensive lesson, but it should be enough to help keep you from falling for a scam.