MINDEN, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Police are warning the public about a bogus story circulating online about a supposed “serial killer” stalking women by hitting their cars with his truck.
The post is turning up in online sales sites, warning of a “serial killer or abductor who is currently hunting” in various cities and towns, depending on the community where the post is shared. The poster claims their friend was “almost taken” by a man who drives a truck with red lights and hits Cars of women alone and once they pull over he takes them.”
The posts are always the same, except for the location. The post ends with the claim that it has already happened multiple times.
“Multiple disappearances. If you are in the area and you are hit by a truck with led lights keep driving and call the cops. Stay safe.”
Police from Minden, Louisiana to Texarkana, Texas have shared warnings on their social media pages about the fake story, saying there is no truth to any of it and urging citizens to check their sources.
“We assure you that, if there was a serial killer on the loose here, you’d hear about it from us – not someone on a trading post site,” the Texarkana, Texas Police Department said on its Facebook page Friday.
“No abductions have taken place anywhere in Minden,” said a post on the Minden Police Association Facebook Page. “Online sales sites are common targets of overseas trolling of patently false news. No one knows why they are trying to spread false fear. Online sales sites are NOT news sources and should not be treated as such. Should an event of this magnitude ever occur, the community will be notified via reputable sources.”
Minden police Lt. Joel Kendrick says it’s not the first time the post has turned up on local online sales sites, and authorities know who the poster is. Individuals caught spreading such misinformation online can be subject to criminal charges including terrorizing and criminal mischief, but Kendrick says this particular poster is known to live outside the U.S.
Police say they shared warnings about the misinformation Friday in hopes of preventing community panic.