The child was allegedly kidnapped while doing her Saturday shopping. Some Facebook users began sharing this false information, which was also dangerous to computers and phones. The information contained a false statement by a nonexistent police officer concerning the alleged kidnapping. The officer was even quoted—except that there is no person of that name, with that surname and rank, in the Bolesławiec police force. The quoted officer was supposedly a captain. There is currently no such rank in the police.
There was also a video to watch showing the moment of the kidnapping. To view it, users had to log in with the username and password they used on Facebook. This could have resulted in a hacker taking over their Facebook account. It is also often the case that clicking a link on a suspicious website infects the device being used with malicious software. It is not difficult to imagine the consequences. Such behavior can result in control being taken over of the infected device and, for example, wiping the bank account to which we have access from that device.
Beware of fake news and “strange websites”!
False information urging people to click on a video or another link has been circulating online for a long time. Internet users should be especially careful with websites bearing unknown and strange names. Such websites oftenpretend to be well-known news services. However, it is difficult to find contact details on them, such as the editorial office’s telephone number or the publisher’s address. This should make us cautious.
We warn you and ask you not to click on information or links from unknown or unverified sources. We also ask you not to click on or install attachments from email messages unless we are 100% certain that they come from a reliable source.