Socia media users in Buckeye, a suburb about 40 miles west of Phoenix, began joining the search for Officer Katie Cunningham when a bogus post went viral in a local Facebook group claiming the cop was local and had “gone missing.”

It’s unclear why someone posted the fake claim, as not only was Cunningham not missing — she was not even an employee of the local Buckeye Police Department.

“This is a scam. Be suspicious of any post like this that lacks specific details like time, location or police contact info, and always think twice before clicking suspicious links or providing banking info,” Buckeye police said on X.

Word of the fictitious story got back to Cunningham’s real employer, the Great Falls Police Department, about 1,280 miles north in Montana.

“We just spoke to her, and she is alive and well,” the Great Falls Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.

“When Cunningham sent her husband the screenshot, he asked if there is a reward,” the department added alongside a laughing emoji.

Authorities in Montana noted several other errors that helped positively identify the post as a scam, including the fact that Cunningham is 5 feet 3 inches tall, not 5 feet 9 as the post claimed.

The photo the scam used was also 10 years old and listed Cunningham’s age as well as her rank incorrectly, the department said.

Police advised those who see the scam to warn others by leaving comments noting it is fake.

“We’re not sure what the scammers hope to gain by making posts like this. Please help set the record straight,” the Great Falls police added.