Imitation is not always the sincerest form of flattery.
Greater Sudbury Police Service is warning the public about a parody Facebook page that mimics its corporate page.
The Facebook page named "Grater" Sudbury Police Service, along with two other satire pages City of "Grater" Sudbury and "Grater" Sudbury Public Library, popped up over the weekend.
"We were made aware that the parody page had been commenting on numerous news and social media posts," Greater Sudbury Police spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn told Sudbury.com on Monday.
"Although we appreciate the humour behind it, our concern is that at first glance, it looks like the comments are coming from our corporate account, specifically comments on the posts regarding the reintegration of a dangerous offender into our community, something that should not be made light of.
"The safety of our community and children in our community is a top priority and to suggest anything less is concerning," Dunn said.
Greater Sudbury Police Service made the following post on July 13 to warn the public about the satire Facebook page.
The initial reaction from the public was a mix of anger and shock. Whoever is behind the parody site also chimed in in the comment section.
Two more parody sites joined in on the fun. City of "Grater" Sudbury took a stab at the Kingsway Entertainment District, Place Des Arts and the new look of the city's transit system, GOVA.
The "Grater" Sudbury Police Service page was created on July 12 and has no posts except a slightly modified version of the real Greater Sudbury Police Service logo. City of "Grater" Sudbury and the "Grater" Sudbury Public Library were both created on July 13 and also have profile pictures that resemble the city logo.
City of Greater Sudbury spokesperson Shannon Dowling said they are aware of the pages and reported them on Facebook.
Greater Sudbury Police Service is reminding Facebook users to be diligent when communicating with groups or pages online.
"We have made our followers aware that the account is not affiliated to the police service in any way and that community members should look closely when they see comments on posts that appear to be coming from our account." Dunn said.
*Update July 17, 2019: Facebook has removed all three of the parody accounts for violating its Community Standards for misrepresentation and spam.
