Fake Missing Police Officer Post Sparks Confusion in Cardiff
Local authorities are sounding the alarm over a viral Facebook hoax claiming a female police officer named Thelma Jakes has disappeared. The bogus post, sweeping through community buy-and-sell groups, wrongly states a 30-year-old officer, described as 5’5” and 160 lbs, vanished after her young daughter was found alone in a car.
The message pushes a “silver alert” and urges users to share the story to “help find her,” accompanied by photos of uniformed officers next to police vehicles. But police have slammed the post as pure fiction — no officer is missing.
“This post is circulating in Facebook groups locally. No police officer is missing. The post is fake — please do not share it,”
community moderators warned in an official statement.
Viral Hoax Recycles Old Tricks
The images are generic or unrelated stock photos, and the storyline matches a recycled scam that’s popped up worldwide, usually tweaked to fit local areas. Cybersecurity pros and public safety officials warn the public not to fall for these fake alerts.
They urge everyone to double-check facts before hitting ‘share’ on sensational social media posts, especially when they’re not linked to official police accounts or credible news sources.
How to Dodge Fake News
- Don’t share the false missing officer post.
- Report the fake post to Facebook to help stop its spread.
- Follow only trusted sources like official police pages and reputable news outlets for real alerts.
