The Brownsville Police Department is asking residents to verify social media posts before sharing. 

Fake social media posts have been circulating claiming that a resident was attacked. 

Police say no victims have come forward, and no such reports have been made. 

So what's the goal of the fake posts?

"Once you start getting into that, of course, you start clicking on their links," said Brownsville police investigator Martin Sandoval. "You start giving them information and then what happens? They steal your identity.”

Sandoval says once you get to the Facebook page that created the original post, you'll notice they're advertising something and trying to get your information. 

“If you really look at the person that’s sending it, that person is actually overseas," Sandoval said. "So, once you go into their site they get what we call kind of like a point into their Facebook algorithm. So, the more points they have, the more their page gets pushed to other people.”

Sandoval says the police department can't do much to stop the person who posted the original because they're overseas. But that doesn't stop the panic here at home. 

“The calls start coming in about the situation that’s happening so then that takes away from other emergencies that we have that officers need to respond to,” Sandoval said. 

Brownsville police recommend verifying information before you post.