‘Help me please,’ man pleads on Facebook. But his alleged kidnapping was fake, cops say

More than 4,000 people shared a man’s Facebook post, in which he stated he had been kidnapped at gunpoint in Arkansas.

But his post, according to police in Helena-West Helena, was a hoax. Now Fredrick Gamble faces charges for the fake social media post.

“Help me please,” Gamble said in his post at 5:22 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 25. “I was just kidnapped walking in Helena. I’m in the back of a gray van. These guys pulled guns on me & forced me inside.”

Police in the Memphis-area city learned of the post a few hours later when Gamble’s mother reported her son as missing, according to a news release.

Investigators soon learned Gamble was at a home in the city with his 42-year-old girlfriend. Police determined Gamble made up the details of his Facebook post.

Gamble, 26, was charged with filing a false report, possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance, police said. He was also charged with fleeing and various traffic violations.

His girlfriend was also arrested and charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution, according to police.

This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 8:33 AM with the headline "‘Help me please,’ man pleads on Facebook. But his alleged kidnapping was fake, cops say."