Sheriff Warns Not To Click Or Share Fake News Story On Social Media About Deadly Crash, "Completely False"

Edmonson Voice Staff Report
Local officials are warning folks to stop clicking and sharing a Facebook post that appears as a news story about a "fiery crash in Edmonson County" that Sheriff Shane Doyle says is "completely false."

The link could contain a virus or programs that could allow individuals to spy on your internet and/or device activity.

The Edmonson Voice received several messages over the weekend from readers asking about the "event." We worked alongside local officials throughout the weekend looking into various incidents and happenings, none of which involved a serious accident of any kind.

Sheriff Doyle is urging people to use caution when clicking or sharing links.

"We work with our local media everyday," he said. "It's silly to think that something like this would happen in our county and our local sources not report this. The story that's floating around is completely false and is 100% a hoax. It's an attempt from a third party for people to share on social media that could possibly be a phishing scheme or contain malware."

A phishing scam is an attempt by a website or email address to obtain unauthorized personal information from an individual for the purpose of stealing their info, finances, or both. Malware is software intended to harm computer systems or devices.

"You need to make sure whatever you're clicking on and sharing is credible," said Doyle. "People are sharing this garbage without even reading the material. Inside this bogus article are fake officer names, and nothing legitimate is anywhere to be found.  We'll always release this type of info to our local media contacts as soon as possible, so if you see a headline like this, do NOT click on it and check a local source."