Police warn of 'misinformation' being shared in social media posts in Windsor

The Windsor Police Service is asking the public to beware of some bogus social media posts and misinformation being shared online.

The police service says that recently there has been an increase in posts shared across various groups in the region, warning about "serial killers" or other criminals.

The posts include photos and mugshots, referencing crimes that police say never took place, including the killing of three female police officers in Windsor.

Constable Bianca Jackson says these are not accurate.

"The information that is being shared is something that has been made up, and it's going quite viral on social media," she says.

Jackson says unless it's coming from a verified source, like the Windsor police website or social media platforms, they don't want people sharing misinformation.

"People would start thinking that there's somebody in our community who is out committing these crimes currently and causing people distress," she says. "We don't want people to be concerned unless there is a reason to be concerned. At this time, those posts going around are inaccurate."

Jackson says the majority of the mugshots being shared are not from our community.

"I can't speak to someone else's motive; however, it's a belief that it may just be to cause disturbance in the community, to cause people to be afraid, and to continue to share this misinformation," she says.