Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless is trying to squash rumors running rampant in the Proctorville area that a man and a woman are breaking into houses and robbing people at gunpoint.

Lawless said the rumors seem to have started on Internet websites that include Topix and Facebook. The rumors concern a woman who grew up in the area, moved to Huntington, W.Va., and has been reportedly going door to door lately with a man, asking for money to buy diapers and food for her baby. Lawless did not identify the couple because they have not been charged with any crimes.

Internet rumors have escalated into online “reports” of criminal activity that Lawless said are absolutely unfounded.

“We haven’t found anyone who has been a victim at the hands of these two people,” Lawless said. “We have no victim and we have no crime.”

Lawless said he is concerned because the rumors have spread so far so fast, someone might see these people and resort to vigilante attacks based on false information.

Lawless said, if this couple or anyone else approaches a home and the occupants do not want them there, the occupants have a right to ask the visitors to leave. If the occupants do not feel safe opening their door, they do not have to answer the door; they can simply call law enforcement.

Lawless said he has not had any contact with the couple who is the focal point of all the gossip.

“By the time we get to the neighborhood they’ve been reported in, they’re gone,” Lawless said.