Fact check: Scam posts claim man is posing as homeless and attacking people

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: A man is knocking on people's doors, pretending to be homeless and attacking them

A Dec. 29, 2022, Facebook image (direct link, archive link) features a mugshot of a man it claims has been knocking on people's doors, pretending to be homeless and attacking them.

"The public around #Elizabeth NJ is being warned to be alert and vigilant," reads text included in the image. "This man goes around knocking on peoples' doors claiming to be homeless, seeking help and then he attacks you. ... Last friday, he attacked a 32 year old single mom with a knife leaving her struggling for her life."

The post garnered more than 800 shares in one week. Nearly identical posts claim the man attacked people in Greenville, South Carolina and Sarasota County, Florida.

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Our rating: False

The man featured in the post was previously arrested in Utica, New York, for commercial burglary. Local officials said the viral claims about a man attacking people are false.

Man was previously arrested in New York

Ruby Contreras, a city of Elizabeth spokesperson, told USA TODAY in an email that the claim made in the Facebook post is false.

"I have seen the same photo and text used and only the city has changed – multiple cities have been targeted and unfortunately Elizabeth has become one of them," Contreras said.

The viral Facebook post goes on to name the suspect as "Tariq Husic." Dana Judge, a spokesperson for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, said she had no knowledge of such a person.

"I searched our database, and we have no history with the person named in this post," Judge said.

The Utica Police Department shared a picture of the man on Facebook on Dec. 26, 2022, and said he'd been arrested and charged with commercial burglary two days prior.

"The suspect Tarik Husic age 25 of Utica was charged with: Burglary in the third degree, Possession of Burglar’s Tools (and) Petit Larceny," reads the post's caption.

Dozens of posts with the same image and nearly identical text typically indicate the posts are a scam, Jeffrey Blevins, a professor of journalism and public and international affairs at the University of Cincinnati, previously told USA TODAY.

Fact check: Local officials say identical abandoned baby posts are a scam

USA TODAY has debunked similar scam posts, including one purportedly showing a man stealing catalytic converters in various locations across the country or that images showed an abandoned baby or injured dog.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment.

This claim has been debunked by Lead Stories as well.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Posts claiming man is attacking people on doorstep is hoax