HARDIN COUNTY, Ky. — Hardin County police are asking residents to be weary of sharing an "alarmist" social media post that claims the community is in danger.
The Elizabethtown Police Department says a viral Facebook post, which claims a man going around Elizabethtown attacking people who don't give him money, is fake.
"Folks. Can we please put this to rest once and for all?" EPD wrote on their Facebook page. "This fake post has circulated multiple times now with different pictures and slightly different narratives."
The post claims the man is going around door to door asking for money and saying he's locked out of a house that isn't his. It claims the man "attacked three home-alone teens" the night before with a knife and that he's now wanted by police for "several crimes."
At the end of the post, the authors urge local residents to "WARN OTHERS" and to call police if he knocks on your door.
Elizabethtown Police say they've received numerous calls from community members concerning the post, asking if it's true before sharing it to their feeds.
"Please don't share these posts," the department said. "Don't give these attention seeking hucksters the fame they want!"
After doing a quick Facebook search using a phrase from the Elizabethtown post, WHAS11 found the man was reported in Wisconsin, Texas and Colorado. All three posts had the exact same photo of an unknown man, similar alarming descriptions, and were all posted within a two-week period.
"I wish there was a mechanism to permanently ban the originators of these false alarmists posts from social media," EPD wrote. "I'm sure Facebook is going to get right on top of that."
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