The Humansdorp police cluster has issued a warning to a Facebook administrator to verify news before posting it on social media.
This after a local Facebook page posted a photograph of an unknown woman, accusing her of stealing children and then taking them out of the country.
Police Spokesperson Captain Gerda Swart says no such case was reported at SAPS in Jeffrey's Bay and no case bared any relevance to the post.
The photo was shared over a thousand times with several people asking where such kidnappings took place.
Last month SAPS issued a statement warning the public not to circulate fake identikits of so-called wanted suspects.
The statement further said that people who disseminate false information which may place others in danger or which creates unnecessary panic will be tracked down for prosecution.
Swart says the admin of the page told SAPS that she received the information from another post, and therefore the origin could not be determined.
She says both the administrator and the person was cautioned to verify any such information in the future so that the spreading of fake news can be avoided.
The public is advised to use social media responsibility and to apply the following tips:
