Hoax missing woman posts spread across UK Facebook groups using US photo
Fake Facebook appeals claiming a 73-year-old called Naomi Adams is missing have circulated in UK community groups. The photo is of a US woman who went missing and was found safe in 2024.
Fake 'missing woman' appeal circulates in UK Facebook groups
Fabricated Facebook posts claiming that a 73-year-old woman named Naomi Adams has gone missing have been shared across multiple UK community groups, fullfact.org reports. The posts are hoaxes: the photograph used does not show anyone called Naomi Adams, but a Missouri woman named Susan Behrend, who went missing in November 2024 and was subsequently found safe.
The posts use nearly identical text across groups for residents in Gloucester, Cornwall, Bradford and Biggleswade in Bedfordshire. In each case only the stated location has been changed. A typical version reads: "MISSING! Our Mom, Naomi Adams aged 73 drove out last night with our dog Cami and she still hasn't returned. She was last seen in 📍 Gloucester. She doesn't know where she's going, she has chronic memory loss."
A reverse image search conducted by Full Fact confirmed that the photograph — showing a woman standing in front of a green building — is not connected to any UK missing person case.
Silver alert reference points to US origin
The posts also claim that a "silver alert" has been activated. That term refers to a US-based public notification system used when elderly or cognitively impaired individuals go missing. It is not a term used by UK police or emergency services, providing a further indication that the content has been copied from an American context and adapted for British audiences.
Several versions of the post also have their comments sections disabled. Derbyshire Police has previously stated this is a sign that a post may not be genuine, as it stops other users from flagging the content as false and blocks potentially useful information from being shared in a real missing person case.
Repeated pattern of community group hoaxes
Full Fact notes this is part of a recurring pattern. Similar fabricated appeals have previously targeted missing children, elderly people and missing or injured pets in Facebook community groups across the UK. Locations are swapped in and out of template posts to make them appear locally relevant.
The organisation warns that such hoaxes erode trust in local community groups. When groups are flooded with false alerts, genuine appeals risk being ignored or dismissed.
Full Fact has also examined the issue in an episode of BBC One's Rip Off Britain, and publishes guidance on how to identify hoax posts of this type.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)