It was a story to strike fear into every parent’s heart: a man in a white car was said to be cruising quiet DeKalb neighborhoods, trying to lure 12-year-old girls into his car.

For weeks, the alarm was sounded through email, Google groups, social media and TV news. With every fresh alarm, the tips to police multiplied. And then … nothing.

It’s natural and good for parents to be vigilant about their children’s safety, and the thought of a child snatched by a stranger is truly horrifying. But when fear starts to roil in cyberspace, well, that’s a different story.

Read it, exclusively on MyAjc.com.

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Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — pictured at an August rally in Peachtree City that also featured Vice President JD Vance — appears to have scored another legal victory over gubernatorial rival Attorney General Chris Carr in their battle over campaign finance issues. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2025)

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