Serial killer post is a scam
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA – Social media posts regarding a serial killer in the Umatilla area are a scam according to the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. Criminal Division Capt. Paul Wolverton says the post is not legitimate.
“This particular post seems to be occurring all over the country via social media,” Wolverton stated. “From what I’ve gathered it seems to have started around the first week of December.”
He said there are no law enforcement media bulletins with any of the information contained in the post.
Snopes (a fact-checking organization) investigated the posts and found dozens of them displaying the same story from numerous cities. Their investigators determined that it is part of a bait-and-switch scam. The picture of the man in the post actually appeared in a Louisiana newspaper with a different name who was arrested on several charges, none involving murder.
A bait-and-switch scam involves first posting a warning to drum up likes, comments, and shares. Snopes said that once a certain threshold is reached the scammers edit the posts to mention a completely different matter that might allow them to make money.
“For any community members who see something like this and want to know if there is legitimate cause for concern, they can always call our dispatch center and we’ll get someone to call them back,” Wolverton said. The number for the Umatilla County Emergency Dispatch Center is is 541-966-3651.
To read the complete report from Snopes, go to https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/robert-thibodeau-serial-killer-facebook-hoax/.
