Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

About facebook missing person appeals?

15 replies

notundermyfoof · 30/10/2013 20:51

Aibu to wish that people would check whether the person is still missing before "sharing" on their wall? Just lately I have noticed a lot of posts on facebook asking people to please share this picture and look out for this person missing since x etc, only to then find that they were found a few hours and in one case 2 days before the picture was shared! I'm not very good with technology but I managed to find out in about 2 minutes by reading the comments on the picture that the person has been found but some people just repost without even checking. Its obviously great to hear that they are home safe but it really annoys me that people can't just check! I know iabu for using fb in the first place btw!

OP posts:

SquirtedPerfumeUpNoseInBoots · 30/10/2013 20:57

Yeah, this bugs me too. And not just missing people, all sorts of obvious (to me) scams.
I used to pm to inform them they were being twats, now I just comment on the things they share.

DontPanicMrMannering · 30/10/2013 21:02

Oh I hate that too, my friend shared a little girl who was "kidnapped by an Asian Grooming Gang" yea of course she was you idiot!

1 Google turned up it was fake from a far right source and the picture was actually a (very very good) painting

Also the missing dog ones.

Sorry people but your Dogs a goner and Facebook isn't fixing that

GiveItYourBestFucker · 30/10/2013 21:03

They can be malicious as well - I read that an estranged father used a FB appeal to find his daughter. Who had fled with his wife to a women's refuge. Well-meaning people on FB shard the post until they were recognised. Always worth checking that the person is actually missing.

Spaulding · 30/10/2013 21:08

YANBU. I have a FB friend who must have been on some kind of Missing Persons Sharing Spree the other day. Post after post of "missing people". One of them was the Asian Grooming one DontPanicMrMannering mentioned above. It was obvious to me the photo wasn't real as that is what made me click on it in the first place! It takes two seconds to Google these people's names or read the comments.

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 30/10/2013 21:12

I only share the picture the police facebook page post.

OHforDUCKScake · 30/10/2013 21:20

Yes I saw the fake photo/picture/asian grooming gang one too.

It was reposted by my mixed race friend, when I googled it because it looked dodgy it transpired it was a hoax made by a racist group.

Lovey.

Wishfulmakeupping · 30/10/2013 21:23

Yabu when its a real actual missing person its a quick way of raising awareness to a huge number of people

Original poster

notundermyfoof · 30/10/2013 21:27

Oh god giveityourbestfucker that would never have even crossed my mind! How awful that these people are not just making themselves look stupid they can potentially be putting people at risk! I do occasionally repost these things but only after googling to make sure that it is genuine and that they haven't already been found.

OP posts:

Original poster

notundermyfoof · 30/10/2013 21:31

Wishful I totally agree with you but its not helpful after the person has been found and it is quite easy to check before reposting!

OP posts:

DontPanicMrMannering · 31/10/2013 00:51

Good point giveityourbest that's awful!

GiveItYourBestFucker · 31/10/2013 09:30

It wouldn't have crossed my mind either until I read the story - I think it was in Metro. :( it's also one of the reasons to be careful about posting class photos etc on FB.

Mrsb999 · 31/10/2013 09:44

The one about reversing your PIN number to alert the police pisses me off, I've given up commenting that it's a hoax as people just get defensive about it!

Lilka · 31/10/2013 11:00

YANBU at all

Don't repost something that doesn't come from an official reliable source

Malicious ex partners who have lost custody of their kids/malicious ex partners trying to stalk their ex will and do create fake missing person images and try and get it circulated

I'm an adoptive mum, and it's also a worry for the adoption community - some angry birth parents also create missing child pages and posts to share on facebook, to try and track down a child who was removed from their care and needs to be kept safe from them. I was looking at one only yesterday

Repeat - don't share anything not originally from an official or reliable source (eg. Police etc)

Strumpetron · 31/10/2013 11:02

There's one woman on my facebook who posts every single fucking thing she looks at and I keep telling her it's fake, don't fall for it, check HoaxSlayer first... but nope.

And she actually seems to get pissed off that its fake. Surely you'd be happy that the missing child isn't actually missing..

Thisismyfirsttime · 31/10/2013 11:33

Oh God, My sister does this. And the warnings from the police that are photo's of printed paper with no letterhead, are half in American spelling and have the most appalling spelling and grammar. But of course they're genuine and must be reposted so no-one she knows gets murdered/ abducted by these people who are going around doing unspeakable things that haven't been reported in the mainstream media. GRRRRRRR!!!

Flip