Franklin city leaders work to correct info from fraudulent social media account

FRANKLIN — An obviously fake social media post appeared to prompt an official response from city leaders on Monday afternoon. 

In an email to The Laconia Daily Sun, the City of Franklin noted their staff was aware of “a fraudulent Facebook account impersonating the City 'Communication' Department and sharing false information.”  

A Facebook page titled “City of Franklin, NH Public Communications” shared a post at 1:19 p.m. on April 6, claiming the city would become home to a $43.7 million-mosque, and “Franklin is set to become the Islam capital of New England.” The mosque, the fraudster claimed, would be open in early 2027.

The post garnered no public engagement on their page, but did so in at least one Facebook group, and apparently captured the attention of people at City Hall. One Facebook user wrote, in a comment, “I called the city. They never heard of this.” 

“This account is not affiliated with the City of Franklin in any way, and the information being posted is false,” the email reads. “Please rely only on the city’s official website, official meeting packets, posted agendas, and verified city communication channels for accurate information. Residents with Facebook accounts are encouraged to report this page as fake, spam, or fraud through Facebook’s reporting tools.”

The page remained up at the time of this writing, on Tuesday. 

The ordeal was reminiscent of another Facebook page, created in 2025, which purported to produce journalism regarding the city.

That page, “The Daily Franklin”, teased residents for weeks, claiming to represent a real news-gathering enterprise. But it was soon clear their news-gathering skills were lacking.

Their first satirical “story”, posted online on Oct. 15, “reported” a Chinese investor had submitted a proposal to purchase the city’s water supply for $70 million. That post did receive public attention, and even had one user demanding Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s attention to the matter. 

“The Daily Franklin” Facebook page republished the fraudulent post referenced in the city’s email.