WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Two dangerous criminals are on the run in Suva after killing three police officers.
OUR VERDICT
False. The fake warning is part of a bait and switch scam.
AAP FACTCHECK - Fiji residents are being warned about a pair of dangerous criminals who are said to be at large after killing three police officers - but it's a hoax, echoing dozens of other fake crime warnings spreading online.
A post on the Buy & sell Suva Facebook group shows mug shot photos of a tattooed man and woman and claims "URGENT: Alert!! Please lock your doors and stay vigilant. A dangerous couple Husband serial Killer Ryan Edward (41) and the woman Alice Chapman(32), a House Burglar are on the run after killing 3 female police officers on Saturday here in #Suva."
The post claims the two prey on elderly people and are "ruthless and very dangerous," saying "LET'S BUMP THIS POST AND HELP WARN OTHERS."
However, the pictured criminals are not "serial killer Ryan Edward" and burglar "Alice Chapman" as claimed in the post, and the supposed crime involving the police officers never happened.
There have been no reports in Fiji media or international media of three female police officers being killed in Suva.
Reverse image searches show that the woman in the post is actually British serial killer Joanna Dennehy, who murdered three men in 2013 in what became known as the Peterborough Ditch murders. She was given a life sentence in 2014 and remains in jail.
The man pictured is an American, Christopher Lee Russell, whom The Times of Northwest Indiana reported was arrested in Chicago in 2020 on burglary charges.
The exact same claims and photos of "Ryan and Alice" can be seen in Facebook community group posts in Yulee, Florida, Carbondale, Pennsylvania and Ipswich, England in the last few weeks.
It's part of a recurring pattern of fake "wanted" posts featuring in community Facebook groups around the world including Australia, as recently highlighted by AAP FactCheck.
Based on "bait and switch" tactics, users are urged to share a warning.
Once the posts have been shared with a certain number of users, they're then edited to show real estate advertisements that prompt users to click on suspicious links.
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