Comox Valley RCMP has issued a warning to residents, advising them to be cautious when viewing and sharing social media posts that claim to be connected to police matters.
Recently, police have noted an increase in misleading and fraudulent social media posts that reference the Comox Valley RCMP investigations, missing persons, wanted individuals or other public safety concerns, or that use local place names to gain attention and encourage sharing.
According to Comox Valley RCMP, these posts often claim that a person is missing, wanted by police or that there has been a serious incident; however, many originate from anonymous users, recently created accounts or pages with little to no connection to the community.
“These types of posts are designed to attract attention and generate shares, often by exploiting people’s desire to help others,” said Constable Monika Terragni, media relations officer for the Comox Valley RCMP.
“While we appreciate that community members want to assist by sharing important information, we encourage everyone to take a moment to verify the source before reposting.”
Police noted that while some of these posts may be attempts to increase engagement, others can have more serious consequences.
For example, in some cases false missing person posts have been used to gather information about an individual’s location, activities or personal circumstances.
Oftentimes, people will respond to missing person appeals with comments such as where they last saw the individual, where they work, what vehicle they drive or where they may be staying. Fraudulent posts like this allow for personal information to be collected by those who may have ill intentions.
Comox Valley RCMP advise that people provide information about missing persons directly to police without posting it to social media.
Additionally, police noted that the spread of inaccurate information can impact innocent individuals when false allegations, fabricated wanted person notices,or misleading posts about criminal activity are shared online. This kind of activity can lead to damaged reputations or, harassment and can create unnecessary concern within the community.
Depending on the situation, police say the individuals who create or share false information could be liable to civil lawsuits or other legal consequences.
Comox Valley RCMP says that any information police need to share with the community will be shared through official RCMP communication channels, established local media outlets or verified government and law enforcement platforms.
Residents who want to ensure what they are seeing online is accurate can check if the information originates from an official RCMP detachment or trusted news source, review the profile or page that posted the information and look for signs that the same post has been copied and shared in multiple unrelated communities.
Furthermore, residents are advised to be cautious about providing information regarding a person’s whereabouts publicly, verify information through official sources before sharing it and report suspected scam or fraudulent posts directly to the social media platform.
Comox Valley RCMP says they recognize social media’s impact and its role in connecting communities and sharing information quickly.
Members of the public are encouraged to continue sharing legitimate safety-related information, while taking simple steps to confirm that the information is accurate.
Anyone who is unsure whether a post is legitimate can visit an official RCMP page or contact the Comox Valley detachment’s non-emergency line for guidance at (250) 338-1321.
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