By TalesFromFlorida.com
MOUNT DORA, FL—In a plot twist that would make even Florida Man raise an eyebrow, a local wildlife rescue got scammed by fake podcasters who straight-up yoinked their Facebook page. That’s right—while Elizabeth McAleenan was busy bottle-feeding baby raccoons and dreaming of their future as wild, trash-panda royalty, some internet gremlins were scheming to steal her nonprofit’s followers.
The Setup: “Hey, Wanna Be Famous?”
Little Bit Wildlife Rescue, the only FWC-certified rehab in Lake County, got a message that seemed legit: “Hey, we wanna feature your adorable critters on our podcast!” Elizabeth, being the kind-hearted soul who probably names every squirrel she meets, thought, “Sure, why not?” She even did her due diligence—Googled the podcaster, set up a Zoom call, and everything.
But then… poof.
The Scam: “JK, We Just Wanted Your Followers”
Instead of fame and fortune (or at least enough donations to buy more raccoon formula), Elizabeth watched in horror as her rescue’s Facebook page—once home to half a million followers—was hijacked. The scammers didn’t even ask for money. Nope. They just took the followers and started cloning the page like some kind of digital raccoon-napping ring.
“I don’t really understand what they were doing,” Elizabeth admitted, probably while cradling a confused baby possum. “It’s like they took all the followers for some reason, and then they started another page with those followers.”
The Aftermath: Back to Square One (But Still Cute AF)
Now, the rescue is rebuilding from scratch, accepting donations through GoFundMe and their website while warning others: “Don’t trust random podcast invites unless they’re from Joe Rogan or someone who can prove they’ve petted a raccoon.”
Meanwhile, the animals remain blissfully unaware of the drama, because let’s be real—raccoons don’t care about Facebook. They just want snacks.
How You Can Help:
– Donate at LittleBitWildlifeRescue.org
– Follow their real page (once it’s back)
– Send emotional support snacks (preferably not stolen from a trash can)
And remember, Florida: If a podcast offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is—unless it’s a show about alligators eating drones. Then it’s probably legit.