The Ithaca Police Department and Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office are warning residents to be cautious when engaging with several social media pages that authorities say may create a misleading impression of legitimacy or affiliation with government and law enforcement agencies.
In a public advisory issued Wednesday, the agencies identified four Facebook pages — Tompkins County Community Hub, Tompkins County Predator Alert 2.0, MJ Jones and NYS Corruption Watch — as pages that are not affiliated with New York state government or any law enforcement agency. Officials said the moderator’s activity across multiple pages may give users the impression that the organizations are separate entities or have official standing.
Authorities said they support free speech and residents’ right to engage with online content, but encouraged the public to carefully evaluate the source of information before interacting with posts that target individuals or share sensitive information. The advisory also noted that some content, domain names and associated business names used by the groups could appear to be connected to government or law enforcement organizations when they are not.
The agencies emphasized that sex offender registration compliance and address verification are handled through official channels under the New York State Sex Offender Registry and encouraged residents to rely on verified government sources for accurate information. Officials also discouraged vigilantism and urged anyone with information about criminal activity to report it through appropriate law enforcement channels.
Anyone who believes they have been targeted by the groups or feels a report was not properly investigated is encouraged to contact the Ithaca Police Department or Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office.
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