FORT SMITH, Ark. — The Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) is warning the public about false "found child" scam posts going around.
The circulating posts show fake photos of children being reported as "found" and asking the public for help in sharing the post. The photos often include a distressed or injured child, but FSPD assures that these are fake.
Spanish version: Para español haga clic aqui.
FSPD said that due to the Facebook reporting system, they are struggling to get the posts removed "despite numerous attempts to report these posts." This results in many of the posts still being active and continuously shared.
According to officials, scammers use this technique to get likes and shares so that their misleading profiles are recommended by Facebook's algorithms. Scammers may also disable comments in the posts to keep others from uncovering the truth.
FSPD said these posts cause "unnecessary alarm and distress" in the community. Police are asking the public to help with this issue by not sharing the posts and informing their friends and family.
"By working together we can help to prevent the spread of misinformation and protect our community," FSPD said.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.
