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December 4, 2017 8:34 PM

Explore Minnesota Facebook page restored after hacker posts dozens of strange stories

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Screenshot of a post made on the hacked Explore Minnesota Tourism page — A post made on the Explore Minnesota Tourism Facebook page after they were reportedly hacked, Dec. 4, 2017.
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For much of Monday, the Explore Minnesota Facebook page was taken over by a hacker who posted bizarre stories on the page.

The state tourism bureau's social media site was filled with reports about everything from a death row inmate eating a Bible to a retired postman fathering 1,300 children. In short, the sort of tales you might see in supermarket tabloids.

The hack was discovered at about 8 a.m., and was not stopped until about 4:30 p.m.

"We are not aware of who exactly the hacker is because Facebook is still investigating the situation. But we do know it is a random hacker," said Alyssa Hayes, a spokesperson for the tourism organization.

Explore Minnesota's website and other social media outlets were not affected.

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