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  • 2022-08-26 (xsd:date)
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  • False missing child reports spread across North America (en)
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  • Posts shared in Facebook groups in the US and Canada claim a girl was found wandering behind an apartment and prompt users to help find her parents. But the same picture was shared -- with some posts containing potentially malicious links -- in locations thousands of miles apart, and police departments said the story was a hoax . Found this girl wandering behind our apartment today. I can not find her parents and my neighbors are clueless how she got here, please help me find her parents, is the request in an August 23, 2022, Facebook post shared in a local buy and sell group of the western Canadian city of Fort McMurray. The post includes a photo of young girl sitting in the back of a car drinking from a sippy cup. Screenshot taken on August 25, 2022 of a Facebook post But the author also shared the same post in a local Facebook group of Brossard , a city on the other side of the country, in Quebec. Screenshot taken on August 25, 2022 of a Facebook post Facebook searches revealed that the same post has also been shared in numerous groups in the US, including in California, Kansas, Minnesota and Iowa. But local police departments took to social media to say that the posts are a hoax. Screenshot taken on August 25, 2022 of a Facebook post Screenshot taken on August 25, 2022 of a Facebook post Other false posts replicated the text but used a different picture of a child wrapped in a striped blanket. Screenshot of a false post, taken on September 20, 2022 A reverse image search revealed the little girl was found on August 21, 2022, at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in the US. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said at the time that the child -- believed to be about 10 months old -- was brought to the airport at night on the Metro Transit light rail by a woman in crisis who was likely not related to the girl. By August 24, 2022, the BCA said the child had been identified and her mother had been found safe. Some versions of the posts have subsequently been edited to include links to webpages prompting users to share personal information. Screenshot taken on August 25, 2022 of a Facebook post Screenshot taken on August 25, 2022 of the edit history of a Facebook post Similar stories about a found dog or missing elderly uncle have also been subsequently edited to display a purported ad for a rent-to-own house. The posts include a potentially malicious link. Screenshot taken on August 26, 2022 of the edit history of a Facebook post The posts are the latest in a series of false rumors involving abductions, dangerous snakes and other scares in North America. Some originated in Zimbabwe and were shared in local Facebook groups in the US and Canada. In many cases, the posts' comment sections were closed -- making it difficult for users to question the veracity of the claims. For genuine warnings about missing and abducted children, check the verified social media accounts of local law enforcement or the Facebook page dedicated to AMBER alerts . September 22, 2022 UPDATE: Article updated to include details of a second false post (en)
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