Hoax posts about ‘missing’ man ‘Martin Jones’ recirculating on social media

Hoax posts claiming that an elderly man with dementia named Martin Jones has gone missing with his dog have been shared on social media.  

The posts say: “My uncle Mr Martin Jones aged 79 drove out with our dog Baxter and he hasn’t returned. He doesn’t know where he’s going, he has dementia. There is a silver alert activated on him. Please help bump this post so we can get him home safely.” 

We have written about fake appeals for the whereabouts of “Martin Jones” before. The picture used in the posts, of a man wearing a dark jacket and cap holding a small dog, is taken from a post thanking a local volunteer for a community group in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

The post is likely to have originated in the US as it makes a reference to a “silver alert”—a…