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Martin Moylan

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.
MPR News screenshot

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.