Bots Have Horsham Police Warning Social Media Users

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —Beware of Spam Bots.

Horsham ChATS said Wednesday morning that it has noticed a rising number of Spam Bots, including ones posted on its Facebook page.

The Horsham Community Police Services warned the township's social media users to be mindful of these Spam Bots, which are common on major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among others.

"Perhaps we should be honored that our page is now getting their attention, but we're not," Horsham ChATs said in its Wednesday morning post.

These Bots post links or send messages designed to get personal information, police said.

"We strongly suggest you not click on links posted in the comment section of our posts. If we want to post a link, we will do it in the body of our original post. We delete and ban these accounts as soon as we see them and thank those friends who call them to our attention," Horsham ChATs said.

Spam bots, also known as spam or fake accounts, are automated profiles that mimic real-life user behavior to spread content. Most are powered by computer programs and operate with little to no human involvement.

These Spam Bots usually appear in two ways, Horsham ChATs.

The first posts a link to a fake news story.

The second post targets women, requesting that a friend request is accepted.

"Be safe and never accept a friend request from someone you don't know or click on a link posted in the comment section unless you 100 percent know who posted it," Horsham ChATs said.