Over the weekend, a fake post, complete with the City of Welland logo and media release styling, circulated on social media, sharing false and unfounded information.

The fake media release image, posted to a Facebook group, falsely indicated the construction of a natural land bridge due to backfilling the Welland Canal. The post generated significant confusion and prompted questions from residents to councillors and staff.

“It is disheartening that someone took the time and effort to attempt to recreate an official city document to create confusion and anger,” said Marc MacDonald, corporate communications manager. “All official City communications go out through the same channels and can easily and quickly be verified on our website. If residents have questions about the validity of posts they see online that appear to be from the City of Welland, they are encouraged to contact us.”

At first glance, as with many scams, the post appears to have some credibility as it includes the City’s logo and the general theme of the City’s media release template. There are, however, discrepancies that readers can be the lookout for if they see future posts that seem off:

• The City of Welland does not include images embedded in its media releases. All images are attached to the outgoing message.
• The City of Welland does not end media release headlines with punctuation such as periods.
• The City of Welland writes media releases in the active voice, not the passive voice represented in the false post.
• The City of Welland posts official media releases on its website: https://www.welland.ca/Media/MediaReleases.asp
• The City of Welland posts official media releases on its social media sites linked to the website.
• The City of Welland sends official media releases via subscription email.

If there is any doubt whether something circulating on social media is a valid, official release from the City of Welland, readers are encouraged to check for the indicators listed above. In addition, any questions about the validity of posts that appear to be from the City of Welland can be verified through the City’s corporate communications department: communications@welland.ca.