Viral posts on social media claim a McDonald’s in Elkton, Maryland, was recently shut down due to a sex-trafficking and money-laundering investigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sex trafficking has become a widely shared topic on social media with many users linking the baseless claims to QAnon, a conspiracy theory alleging a “deep state” apparatus run by liberal politicians and celebrities who are pedophiles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The claim targeting\u00a0a\u00a0McDonald’s\u00a0in Maryland originated in an\u00a0April 26 post from\u00a0a Facebook page that goes by “Town of Elkton MD.”<\/p>\n
“Big news for Cecil county today, Elkton McDonald’s on Pulaski highway located in the big elk shopping center is being permanently shut down as of 4\/27\/21 due to a S*x trafficking investigation and international money laundering investigation,” the post reads.<\/p>\n
The account attributed the claim to a “Town of Elkton public official” and the\u00a0post has\u00a0over 1,100\u00a0shares and over 200 comments.<\/p>\n
Soon after, users shared a screengrab\u00a0of the post\u00a0to Facebook crime group pages. In a subsequent post on April 28, the “Town of Elkton MD”\u00a0account\u00a0claimed President Joe Biden “is linked to the s*x trafficking scandal at the Elkton McDonald’s.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fact check:<\/strong>Police say there’s no evidence of a serial killer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana<\/span><\/p>\n USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook page and user for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Police in Elkton said the claim is false.<\/p>\n Lt. Lawrence Waldridge with the\u00a0Elkton Police Department confirmed to Lead Stories that there is no such investigation taking place.<\/p>\n “We have not been advised of that and there has been no investigation of that by our agency,” Waldridge said. He added that\u00a0the Facebook page spreading the rumor is\u00a0a fake account.\u00a0<\/p>\n The profile image and the Facebook page’s name resemble\u00a0the Town of Elkton’s official account, tricking users into thinking it is authentic.\u00a0<\/p>\n The official Town of Elkton page is defined as a government organization, while the Facebook page sharing the claim writes in its about section:\u00a0“Perfect town filled with perfect junkies.”\u00a0<\/p>\n On April 26, the official Town of Elkton Facebook page wrote that the fake Facebook account is “not sponsored or run by the municipality” and urged users to “beware of what information is on social media.”<\/p>\n Similarly, the Elkton Police Department took to Facebook the same day to\u00a0point out the “fictitious Town of Elkton MD Facebook page circulating a story regarding the closure of the McDonalds Restaurant located at Routes 213\/40.”<\/p>\n A phone call to the McDonald’s\u00a0in Big Elk Shopping Centre\u00a0further confirms that the restaurant\u00a0is open and the restaurant’s website makes no mention of the location being closed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fact check: <\/strong>Viral TikTok trends surrounding warning of sexual assault on April 24 are unsubstantiated<\/span><\/p>\n USA TODAY reached out to McDonald’s and the Elkton Police Department for additional comment.<\/p>\n The claim that a McDonald’s in Elkton has been permanently shut down due to a sex-trafficking and money-laundering investigation\u00a0is FALSE, based on our research. The Elkton Police Department\u00a0confirmed\u00a0there is no such investigation taking place. McDonald’s makes no mention of the location being closed and the rumor started from a fake account\u00a0claiming to be the town of Elkton’s official page.\u00a0<\/p>\nNo evidence of claim<\/h2>\n
Our rating: False<\/h2>\n
Our fact-check sources:\u00a0<\/h2>\n