City of Carthage Warns Residents About Fake Social Media Accounts

Authorities in Carthage, Missouri have issued an urgent public notice alerting residents about several unauthorized Facebook accounts that have been created using the city’s name, potentially putting citizens at risk of misinformation or scams.

The warning comes amid a growing trend of social media impersonation affecting local governments across the United States, where bad actors create convincing duplicates of official municipal pages to spread false information or potentially collect personal data from unsuspecting residents.

“We want to ensure our community knows which channels they can trust for official city communications,” said a city spokesperson. “These unauthorized accounts can create confusion and potentially spread misinformation that impacts our residents.”

According to the notice, the fake accounts have adopted similar naming conventions and visual branding to the legitimate city accounts, making it difficult for casual users to distinguish between authentic and fraudulent pages. Some of these unauthorized accounts have already begun posting content that appears to be official city announcements.

The City of Carthage maintains only one official Facebook page where residents can receive verified information about city services, emergency notifications, and community events. Officials urge residents to check page verification indicators, such as the blue verification checkmark, when seeking official information online.

Cybersecurity experts note that local governments have become increasingly targeted for social media impersonation because of the trust citizens place in municipal communications. The accounts could potentially be used to announce false service disruptions, fee changes, or even to solicit personal information from residents under the guise of updating city records.

“Small to mid-sized communities are particularly vulnerable because they often have limited resources dedicated to digital security and monitoring,” explained Dr. James Thornton, a cybersecurity analyst specializing in government systems. “When people believe they’re interacting with their local government, they’re more likely to share sensitive information or follow instructions without verification.”

The Carthage Police Department is investigating the unauthorized accounts and working with Facebook’s parent company, Meta, to have them removed. Creating accounts that impersonate government entities violates Meta’s terms of service, which prohibits misrepresentation and false identities.

Local resident Maryanne Jenkins expressed concern about the development. “I follow the city page for important updates about water service and road closures. It’s troubling to think I might be getting fake information that could affect my family’s safety or daily routines,” she said.

City officials recommend that residents protect themselves by:

• Only following the verified City of Carthage social media accounts
• Checking the account creation date and history before trusting information
• Verifying important announcements through multiple official channels, including the city’s website
• Being suspicious of any municipal social media accounts that request personal information or financial details

This incident highlights the broader cybersecurity challenges facing local governments as they increasingly rely on social media platforms for public communication. The National League of Cities recently reported a 47% increase in digital impersonation attempts targeting municipal governments in the past year alone.

Carthage, a city of approximately 15,000 residents located in southwest Missouri, joins several other municipalities across the country that have faced similar challenges with unauthorized social media accounts in recent months.

Residents with questions about the authenticity of city communications are encouraged to contact the Carthage City Hall directly by phone rather than responding to suspicious social media messages.