WOWK 13 News

Ashland, Kentucky police warn of scam creating a scare

FILE - In this May 16, 2012, file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia. Facebook announced Thursday, July 21, 2022, that it is rolling out an update that enables its 2 billion daily users to more easily view their friends' posts in chronological order. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

BOYD COUNTY, KY (WOWK) – The Ashland Police Department is warning of a scam going around on social media that is being posted to community groups allegedly to create a scare.

According to the Ashland PD, the scammers go into a community group and post a warning of alleged criminals in the area. Specifically, the APD says this scam reported from the “Boyd County Sale & Trade” group was a message posted about an alleged “serial killer and abductor,” alleged “mugshot” included, in the Boyd County area allegedly kidnapping women. The poster even says their “friend was almost taken.” The APD says their is no indication of anything like this happening in the area.

The APD says other agencies have had similar reports of the exact same post with only the location changed in the wording.

This is not the first time a false post warning of criminals has reached the area, just last month, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office investigated reports from a post circulating that a woman had been targeted by a man in the Teays Valley Kroger parking lot and that her husband had intervened seeing the same thing happen to another woman a different night.

In that case, the PCSO said they were unable to locate any evidence of the alleged suspect, alleged suspect vehicle, or even the supposed complainant. There was also no evidence on Kroger’s video surveillance that matched the account of the alleged incidents.

Anyone who sees posts like these should take caution to see if they are actually real before sharing the post.