Westport Police Warn of Fake Social Media Post Regarding ‘Dangerous’ Duo

WESTPORT (WBSM) — Once again, a fake social media post has been circulating on the SouthCoast, this time trying to trick Westport residents into thinking they’re in danger.

Westport Police shared the post on Facebook on Tuesday evening, warning residents that it is a “fake post.”

The post depicts the mugshots of two people it claims were involved in a knife attack and stole a vehicle.

“Warning,” the post reads. “The public around #Westport is being warned to be alert & vigilant. This couple escaped from police custody and is going around knocking on peoples’ doors claiming to be homeless, seeking help and then they attack you.”

“They’re on the run and are very dangerous,” it continues. “Last weekend, they attacked a 40 year old single mom with a knife leaving her fighting for her life and gasping for air. Known as Selena Coleman (28) and Damian Harris (34), also stole a vehicle from a 75-year-old lady under the guise of helping her off-load groceries from her car. If you see them please call the police & be careful. Warn others!!!”

As it turns out, their names really are Selena Coleman and Damian Harris, but these photos relate back to a crime in Tulsa, Oklahoma in January 2020. The two were accused of abusing Coleman’s four-year-old son, breaking multiple bones.

However, Westport Police said they are not in our area.

“Please share as we have received multiple messages from concerned individuals in town and surrounding communities,” police posted to Facebook.

This is not the first time this hoax has been perpetrated on the SouthCoast. In August 2022, a post went viral locally claiming that two men were in the Mattapoisett area and had “attacked a 33 year old single mom with a knife…leaving her struggling for her life.”

The post about Coleman and Harris reads almost exactly the same as the post from two years ago, right down to “claiming to be homeless” and “they are on the run and very dangerous.”

READ MORE: Facebook Scam Claims Mattapoisett Stabbers, Fall River/Plymouth Serial Killer

These posts are apparently created by bots, with the name of the town populated into the post where a symbol is. In 2022, it was a “>” symbol, while in the recent post, it appears to be the “#” symbol that’s the culprit.

Quite often, these posts get shared around by hundreds if not thousands of people, and then once they’ve saturated the area, the post is edited and switches over to some kind of ad.