A man has issued a serious warning about calling the number on a missing person poster, stating it could do more harm than good.
When someone is reported missing, the primary goal is for them to be found safe and given the support they need.
However, one man warned that not everyone involved in a missing person’s case has their best interests in mind, and the posters about their disappearance may not tell the full story, Mirror reported.
Expressing his concern on Reddit’s life pro tip thread, he said: “If you’ve seen a ‘Missing person’ poster and you have info about the missing person, don’t report it to any phone number/person mentioned in the poster, always contact the authorities.”
Why, you may ask? He added: “You don’t know if the poster was made by a stalker or someone who is intending to hurt the missing person.”
While most users hadn’t considered this possibility, other Reddit users chipped in with their experiences where homemade posters had caused them significant stress.
One user said: “This actually happened to my wife and I. We were fostering a young boy while the bio family had made physical posters and Facebook posts about how he was kidnapped and such.
“Their posts on Facebook got 160,000 plus shares and was on the local news stations and radio. We literally had to go into ‘lock down’ for a few days to lay low. Was definitely an intense few weeks!”
Another user added: “Not a bad tip. I worked in a shelter for years and people would call around looking for someone.
“We were trained to never answer these types of questions. I’ve met people trying to get away from every type of ‘loved one’ and most types of evil. They don’t let go easy and will try everything to regain control.”
And a third user said: “Had an abusive ex boyfriend call and tried to report someone as suicidal. Story didn’t add up and we located her safe and sound. Basically the ex was trying to get us to find her since she moved away from him.
“So yes this happens. May not be obvious but most people don’t realise the lengths abusive men and women will go to terrorise their victims.”
To report a missing person, contact the police by dialing 999. If you have hearing or speech impairments, use the textphone service at 18000 or text 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service.
A police statement reads: “You do not have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing. It is not wasting police time to report someone missing. We are here to protect you and your loved ones.
“When you provide us with information about a missing person we’ll review and assess, email to confirm that we’ve got your report and tell you what will happen next.
“It will be dealt with by our control room in exactly the same way whether you report it online or call us. You may find it easier to answer the questions online at your own pace.”
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