Gardaí are urging people not to share fake kidnap warnings on social media or in WhatsApp groups.
It comes after the photo of a foreign man, wrongly accused of being in a child abduction gang, was shared more than 2,000 times on Facebook.
It is claimed a group from Albania has made suspicious approaches in south Dublin but gardaí say they are not investigating anything of this nature.
Detectives are asking people to refrain from sharing photos which cannot be verified and to instead contact a member of the gardaí if they have concerns.
Digital Desk