With all this crazy disinformation that is being spread on social media, it’s unfortunate that this is worsened with AI, or artificial intelligence.
A case in point recently was that a local news service identified Ocracoke’s Lifeguard Beach as having the worst thefts in the country for beaches. Currituck beach and Carova beach also made the top ten giving the Outer Banks a bad reputation and which might cause potential visitors to look for safer locations to spend their vacation.
The rates of theft were, of course, totally false.
While we are reluctant to reiterate errors, on July 15, 2025, this appeared:
“EMERALD ISLE, N.C. (WNCT) — A new report found that three of North Carolina’s beaches are in the top ten for most theft prone beaches in the country.
“The Action Network ranked Ocracoke lifeguarded beach in Hyde County number one. Currituck beach and Carova beach in the Outer Banks tied for seventh. The report analyzed property crime data across 520 US beach zip codes with a focus on theft, robbery, vehicle and burglary.”
So, what is Action Network? It’s described as a sports media company featuring news and analysis focused on sports betting in the United States.
And where did Action Network get its information? One source is CrimeGrade.org.
On this organization’s website is this: “A complex process of statistical computation and machine learning to find the safest and most dangerous areas. This data is then parsed into simple maps and grades that anyone can understand. Put in your zip code to see crime in your city.”
We put in 27960 and Ocracoke got Fs for all crime.
Crime Grade’s property crime map highlights the safest areas in Ocracoke in green, the most dangerous in red, and moderately safe areas in yellow. Crime rates on the map are weighted based on both the type and severity of the crime.
The whole island is red.
And these howlers: “Ocracoke residents generally consider the north part of the city to be the safest. Your chance of being a victim of property crime in Ocracoke varies by neighborhood – ranging from 1 in 11 in the northeast neighborhoods to 1 in 12 in the north. Cost of Crime for Ocracoke, NC is $239,129 and murder alone will cost islanders $736 per household. And finally: Of 27960’s 588 residents, few live near recreational areas.”
A search of these websites does not give the owners nor how to contact them.
On the good side of this was the quick reaction to the July 15 “news.”
Randal Mathews, Ocracoke’s county commissioner, wrote to the WNCT-TV station to say, despite what CrimeGrade.org may say, there’s no data to support these allegations.
“I have contacted the Park Superintendent to inquire and neither of us have ever heard of a theft problem at the lifeguard beach,” he said. “It’s questionable why your station would report something like this and say it came from another network.”
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent David Hallac quickly wrote to the station to refute the evidence, saying “A search of our law enforcement statistics for ‘thefts,’ ‘burglary,’ ‘robbery’ or ‘breaking-and-entering indicates that there has not been a single incident of theft at the lifeguarded beach on Ocracoke Island over the last 10 years.
“While it’s possible that a theft may have occurred but was not reported, these data demonstrate that theft is extremely rare at the Seashore on Ocracoke Island and that our visitors can enjoy visits without significant concerns about theft, burglaries, or robberies.”
Although they did not retract the original story, WNCT-TV to their credit, followed up on July 18 with an online news report “Ocracoke is safe: County leaders dispute recent national study.”
The news site on Actionnetwork.com for “The Most (and Least) Theft-Prone U.S. Beaches in 2025” was updated July 18, and Ocracoke was no longer listed, but Carova and Currituck beaches were tied for sixth place.
To have credibility, news services need to provide accurate information, which involves fact-checking and making sure the sources of information are credible.
In the case of Crime Grade’s information on Ocracoke, it is egregiously wrong.
Anyone even mildly acquainted with the island would know that labeling Ocracoke the most theft-prone beach in the country would not pass the smell test, and that must be done by a human being, not a machine.
It is not just news services that need to be careful.
People using social media have responsibilities as well. Photos showing people in untoward circumstances, or documents appearing as though typed on old Remington typewriters that appear authentic but are totally false, can be whipped up and circulated with light speed on the Internet.
For the record, over the years, safety reports in the Observer (see page 20) show that Ocracoke Island is not a hotbed of crime.
As Mathews told WNCT: “This is the kind of place where you can drop your wallet and when you get it back, all the money is still in it.”
