Fact Check

Australian Police Targeting Pokemon Go Players

A fake photograph purportedly shows a warning sign in Australia indicating that Pokemon Go players are being targeted by police.

Published July 11, 2016

 (Facebook)
Image Via Facebook
Claim:
A photograph shows a sign in Australia indicating that Pokemon Go players are being targeted by police.

In July 2016, a photograph purportedly showing a sign in Australia indicating that local police were targeting Pokemon Go players began circulating online:

pokemon go

However, the Pokemon reference does not actually appear on the real-life sign. Similar photographs have been circulating since at least 2008, with various "targets" digitally added to the sign's front:

signs

These images feature identical backgrounds, indicating they were all created from the same source photograph.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.