A false story about a violent criminal, which has been circulating on social media around the country, found its way to Great Falls recently.
A recent post on the Best Great Falls Garage Sale page on Facebook claims that a man known as "Tariq Husic" has been assaulting people in Great Falls.
The post claims that he knocks on doors, claiming to be homeless, and asks for help - and then "attacks you."
It even claims that he attacked a "32-year old single mom" with knife, leaving her "struggling for her life," and also stole a vehicle from an elderly woman after pretending to offer help unloading groceries.
Sometimes the post is shared using different photos:
But the very same post has also popped up in many other Facebook groups, using the same details and name, and sometimes with a different photo of the "criminal."
The post has appeared on community and garage pages in Fairbanks, Alaska; Denver, Colorado; Greenville, South Carolina; Florence, Alabama; and Sarasota County, Florida.
This is similar to another recent bogus post seen in Montana about a missing boy with bruises who was found by police “last night” walking behind a home in Butte.
The reason for creating such fake posts isn't obvious, other than someone trying to garner attention, or who are trying to entice people to contact the poster in order to try to perpetrate a scam.
People who share such posts on social media often do so in the mistaken belief that they are helping - alerting others to what they believe to a genuine threat, or urging people to help a lost child.
However, sharing such posts could lessen the impact of genuine posts about missing children from law enforcement agencies and news outlets, and/or cause undue alarm in a community.
Being vigilant and aware of your surroundings is always a good idea - but use caution before believing or sharing posts that are designed to provoke fear or sympathy.
In cases such as this, try doing a simple search on Facebook or a search engine such as Google for the person's name to determine if it is genuine - or simply a fake and/or recirculated claim.
If you're not sure if an inflammatory post is true, you can also check with the police department or Sheriff's Office in your community, or contact a trusted news outlet in your area.
As for the person identified in the bogus post: he is a real person, and was charged in 2002 in Utica, New York - for simple burglary, not a violent crime, according to the City Of Utica Police Department.
