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| - A number of posts on Facebook have claimed people are robbing houses by pretending to be “home affairs officers” checking if occupants have a “valid identity card for the upcoming census”.
However, as we’ve written before, these posts appear to be hoaxes. There’s no evidence for any such pattern of burglaries in the UK.
Posts claiming people posing as “home affairs officers” are robbing houses have been circulating worldwide for at least the last eight years. Online claims can spread fast and far, and are difficult to contain and correct.
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What do the posts say?
The posts have been shared by multiple Facebook accounts and appeared in multiple UK Facebook groups over recent weeks, as well as on TikTok.
They’ve also been shared in other countries, directed at users in locations such as Pakistan, the United States and Canada.
The posts typically warn users to “beware” because “the latest way to rob a house is a group going door to door pretending to be home affairs officers. They have documents and letterheads from the Department of Home Affairs and claim to confirm that everyone has a valid identity card for the upcoming census. They are looting houses. Please note that no such initiative has been taken by the government.”
The posts then encourage those reading to share the warning: “Please send this to your neighbourhood group chat. They are everywhere and they look presentable. Please alert your family and friends. Forward to all groups.”
Some of the posts feature the text imposed on an image of two men in navy and black jackets, seemingly taken from across the road. We’ve not been able to determine the origin of this photograph.
There are clues that these warnings are not genuine. The UK does not have a “Department of Home Affairs” or identity cards. The UK’s last census took place in 2021 and the next is not scheduled until 2031, though there have been reports this may not take place.
Full Fact cannot find any reports of robberies of this kind taking place. Two of the posts say these crimes have happened in specific places—Coundon in Coventry and “Poggie”, which appears to refer to the area of Pogmoor in Barnsley.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police told Full Fact the force was “not aware of any crime reports of this nature”. We also contacted South Yorkshire Police about these specific claims, and will update this article if they respond.
Journalists in India, Bermuda and the US, as well as police and state officials in Malaysia and Singapore, have all debunked similar claims.
Where did these posts come from?
The earliest example Full Fact has found dates back to 2016 and originated from Facebook users in Kenya. These posts had very similar wording to those that have recently been shared, but referenced an “upcoming election” rather than the census.
We’ve explored these posts in more depth in an article we published in November 2022.
Image courtesy of Scott Graham.
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