EASLEY, SC (FOX Carolina) – The Easley Police Department said scammers are using the photo of a deceased police officer to try to steal from residents.

A message is circulating on the Internet about a missing officer who is in extreme danger. Upon investigation, FOX Carolina learned that this was not true.

The department said the officer on duty, Jonathan Diller, is a real person but has not disappeared.

Diller was a New York police officer who was killed in the line of duty in March. Scammers are now using her photo as part of a fake missing persons post to trick you into sharing it.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) ​​said the scam works so that you see that message or a message about a missing child, a lost service animal, or anything that makes you want to help.

Once enough people share the message, the BBB said the scammer will edit it and turn it into something more deceptive with a link encouraging people to send money.

Here are the things to look for to determine whether a post is real or not:

• Grammar. If there are a lot of typos, it’s probably fake.
• See if this is a new profile.
• See if comments are disabled.

When in doubt, be sure to turn to official sources, like local law enforcement, who can actually verify whether a person is missing.

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