ST. CLOUD -- St. Cloud police are responding to a false attempted abduction report on Facebook.

Assistant Police Chief Jeff Oxton says his office was contacted on Monday by several media outlets - including WJON - and community members about a Facebook post that described an attempted abduction of a woman at the Walgreens store in the 2500 block of Division Street West that had apparently taken place last Friday.

Image provided by St. Cloud Police
Image provided by St. Cloud Police
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St. Cloud police became concerned because no report had been made to their department. The Criminal Investigation Unit contacted the author of the Facebook post, and the alleged victim, and learned that the attempted abduction never occurred. This was supported by video from Walgreens which confirmed that although the person in question did go to Walgreens Friday evening, there was never any type of incident or even encounter with any other individuals.

Several organizations and individuals have been re-posting this Facebook post as the truth, which police say has falsely spread fear, anxiety, and incredibly false narrative.

Oxton says, when it comes to social media posts about specific incidents, verify with local law enforcement or legitimate media outlets - like WJON - before reposting as truth.

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