I found something interesting in IVerify - Viral claim about a missing Child in Chelston, Zambia is False

Viral claim about a missing Child in Chelston, Zambia is False

False

iVerify Zambia has investigated and determined that the claim about the child being found in Chelston, Zambia, is false. While investigations could not confirm the exact origin of the image, a reverse image search revealed that the photograph has been shared across multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, by various accounts from different states in the United States of America.

Verified Nov, 02 2024

Claim

Through its WhatsApp tipline, iVerify Zambia received a photograph of an allegedly lost 2-year-old child. This photo is circulating on social media platforms (WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter) with a message claiming that the child was found in Chelston, Zambia, and is currently safe at a local police station. The message urges people to share the post widely to help locate the child’s family.

Rating Justification

iVerify Zambia has determined this claim to be false. A verification of the image’s source using reverse image search confirmed that the photograph has been shared on various social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by several accounts from different states in the United States of America.
In one of the Instagram accounts the message reads, “A 2-year-old boy was found approximately one hour ago in Jacksonville. Authorities have ensured the child’s safety at the police station, but his family has not been located…This is a repost from our city; unfortunately, I have no additional information regarding this matter”. Similar messages on other social media pages claimed the child was also found in West Sacramento and Illinois.
Although our investigations could not ascertain the exact details of where the image was taken from, they have revealed that the claim that the child was found in Chelston, Zambia, is false.

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