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Story about purported cop killer Ryan Edward is bait in a scam
Mere days after fraudulent warnings about a wanted serial killer named Jeffrey Thomas, a new purported menace is prowling the dark corners of social media.
"Alert!!" a Jan. 26 Instagram post said. "Lock your doors and stay vigilant. Serial killer Ryan Edward (33) is on the run after killing 3 female police officers on Saturday here in #SanAntonio. Please warn others. He goes around vandalizing parked vehicles, knocking on peoples’ doors claiming to be homeless, seeking your help & he attacks you after gaining your trust. He’s ruthless and very dangerous."
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
The post included an image of a man who is a convicted serial killer, but not a wanted one — and his name isn’t Ryan Edward.
It’s Jose Gilberto Rodriguez, who received five life sentences after he was convicted of killing three people during a 2018 weeklong crime spree in Houston.
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The San Antonio Police Department said rumors about a serial killer named Ryan Edward are part of a scam, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
"The goal is to get the fake story to go viral and then once it has accumulated enough shares, change the content to whatever the scammers or hackers want to draw visibility to," police spokesperson Nicholas Soliz told the Express-News.
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The Better Business Bureau has warned about these kinds of bait-and-switch scams before. They work like this: Someone is scrolling through Facebook and sees a post about a wanted serial killer (or, as we’ve previously reported, a missing or found-and-bruised child). The person shares the post. But after the person shares the post, the scammer changes the post to something such as a deceptive rental ad.
"These bait-and-switch ads aim to either get a deposit for a rental property before the user gets a chance to see the home — or get your personal information, which could lead to identity theft," the Better Business Bureau said in a November 2024 article on its website. "This scheme has many variations, but the commonality is the emotionality or urgency of the message that encourages concerned people to share the news with their friends."
Other recent Facebook posts have also used a similar narrative about a serial killer named Ryan Edward who purportedly killed three police officers, but the posts use a different age, location and photo for this supposed suspect.
We rate claims a serial killer named Ryan Edward is on the run after killing three police officers False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Jan. 26, 2025
Facebook post, Jan. 23, 2025
Facebook post, Jan. 24, 2025
Facebook post, Jan. 23, 2025
PolitiFact, Don’t fall for Facebook posts warning about purported, wanted serial killer Jeffrey Thomas, Jan. 24, 2025
KHOU, Houston serial killer gets 5 life sentences for 2018 crime spree in which he killed 3 people, Dec. 19, 2023
San Antonio Express-News, Reports of serial killer Ryan Edward are social media scam, police say, Jan. 27, 2025
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Story about purported cop killer Ryan Edward is bait in a scam
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