PITTSFIELD — Police are warning residents about a surge in fake missing person posts on social media that are being shared widely despite having no factual basis.
The Pittsfield Police Department said Tuesday these fraudulent posts typically contain generic information without specific contact details for anyone searching for the allegedly missing individual.
In some cases, scammers have used photos of children who were previously reported missing but have since been found.
“These posts are getting shared all the time, and the moderators of these pages are not doing their due diligence to spot them,” the department said in a statement.
Authorities urge social media users to report suspicious posts rather than sharing them.
They also recommend that page administrators utilize filtering tools to reduce the spread of potential scams.
Police emphasized that legitimate missing person alerts will include official contact information and verifiable details.
The public is advised to rely on information from law enforcement agencies and established news sources when assessing such reports.
