Crime & Safety
Police Warn Community About 'Misinformation' On Facebook Group Page
East Haven Middle School Facebook group has bogus missing persons alerts and people wanted by cops posts shared by unsuspecting FB members.
EAST HAVEN, CT — Foe the past several days, East Haven police have cautioned the community about a social media page that's been perpetuating hoaxes intended to "exploit your compassion and pride in our community to spread misinformation." Those hoaxes include false missing persons alerts, wanted individuals, and job listings.
The Facebook group page, called 'East Haven Middle School,' has more than 700 members, with the number increasing since the warnings. According to Facebook, the public group page was created on February 26, 2009, though police note the scams recently began appearing.
The first warning from police came last Friday afternoon.
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"Please do not share the story about a missing child named Grayson Costain. This is a hoax and is not related to any case in East Haven. The story originated from a real missing persons case in which the child was found safe. Unfortunately, it is now being falsely circulated in various communities. Thank you for helping us prevent the spread of misinformation."
Then, Saturday morning:
"Please be advised that we are once again seeing a hoax claiming that the East Haven Police Department is searching for a Robert Thibodeau. This hoax is similar to one that circulated yesterday. Before posting or sharing such information, please check our official page first. We are committed to providing accurate and reliable updates."
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Sunday, the caution included a note to the community that "scammers are exploiting your compassion..."
"Please DO NOT share any content from the 'East Haven Middle School' Facebook page. In the past few days, several hoaxes have been posted, including false missing persons alerts, wanted individuals, and job listings. Scammers are exploiting your compassion and pride in our community to spread misinformation. We ask for your help in stopping the spread of these false posts by not sharing or engaging with them. Thank you for your vigilance and support in keeping our community informed and protected."
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