Facebook ‘Missing New York Police Officer’ is a Scam, Do Not Share

Post About Missing Man Goes Viral

A viral social media post shows the photo of a New York Police Officer holding his son, tugging at the emotional heartstrings of anyone who sees it.

The post, which encourages as many people as possible to share it, suggests that the man pictured had gone missing in New York after his truck was found with only his small child inside.

The Post is a Scam

You may have seen the post on Facebook, and while it's tempting to click on it and even share, police are warning people not to do it.  The image depicts a man holding his child, but the man pictured is New York State Police Officer Jonathan Diller, and he's not missing.

This is a scam, and local authorities are trying to stop it before more people's information is compromised.

Who is Jonathon Diller?

Sadly, Diller was shot and killed last March during a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens.

Diller was a good cop, known for making people smile and putting others before himself, and his tragic murder left a wife without her husband and their 1-year-old son without a father.

At his funeral, President Donald Trump visited for a half hour, speaking one-on-one with Diller's wife, Stephanie, offering what observers called words of comfort, according to CBS News in New York.

Months after Officer Diller’s very public death, viral Facebook posts have surfaced claiming “Police Officer Jonathan Diller went missing yesterday.”

The posts we came across included a photo of Diller smiling while holding a child. The misleading text claims he has mysteriously disappeared and urges users to share to “help find him.”

Why is This Fake Post Spreading?

According to a malware source, this post is "a calculated scam to generate shares and page “likes” – also known as “like-farming.”

Scammers use Diller’s name/photo and an emotional story to trigger an instinctive urgency to share and help. But the real motive is to gain visibility and traffic, not to find a missing person.

What Exactly is Like-Farming?

Like-farming on Facebook is a technique in which scammers create eye-catching posts to get many likes and shares.

According to the source, "posts often give people emotional reasons to click, like, and share, such as adorable animals, sick children, the promise to win big, or political messages."

Why Do Scammers “Farm” for Likes?

As with many scams, "like-farming" has several different aims. When scammers ask you to “register” to win something or claim an offer, this is a way to steal your personal information.

Often, the post itself is initially harmless – albeit entirely fictional. However, viral posts can be troublesome when scammers collect enough likes and shares.

Stay vigilant against emotional manipulation online. Watch for:

• Urgent or dramatic wording in the post title
• The story claims a highly unusual or improbable scenario
• Missing specifics on investigatory agencies or who to contact
• Please share only vs. providing valuable tips or resources
• The original poster is a random or questionable account
• Comments calling it a scam or asking for proof

If you come across the post, police warn you NOT to share it—this only enables the scam to spread. They encourage you to report fake profiles to Facebook and alert friends.