The Weslaco Police Department is warning the public of a social media post they say is spreading a hoax regarding an alleged serial killer on the run in the city.

The post warns the public of a man identified as 52-year-old Robert Thibodeau who allegedly attacked a woman and stole a vehicle from another woman.

The department took to Facebook to announce the report is a hoax.

“The Weslaco Police Department has received no reports regarding this individual or incidents. We are urging the public to be cautious about sharing unverified information on social media,” Weslaco police said in a social media post. “We would like to remind the public to stay vigilant and be aware of your surroundings.”

The website Snopes also identified the post as a hoax, adding that similar posts have been showing up in multiple cities across the country. 

According to Snopes, the post is part of a bait-and-switch scam where scammers create posts in multiple local community Facebook groups with similar warnings to spread the posts.

“Once a certain threshold was reached, the scammers edited the posts to mention a completely different matter that might allow them to make money,” Snopes said. “The strategy by the scammers was that users would see the altered posts and their preexisting likes, comments and shares — some from friends or friends of friends — and then trust whatever the content (the scam) might be.”

The Weslaco Police Department is reminding the public to report any suspicious activity to them by calling 956-968-8591.