Sammy Hagar is dismissing a viral fake news story in which a man was reportedly arrested for impersonating the Red Rocker to cash fake royalty checks.

The post, which seems to have originated from the Mount Vernon II News & Rumors Facebook page (embedded below), states:

A local man was taken into custody yesterday after allegedly impersonating rock legend Sammy Hagar at several local businesses, including two banks and a vape shop.
Police say Ronnie Putnam, 58, of Summersville, walked into multiple establishments claiming to be “the real Red Rocker” and demanding to open accounts under the name Sammy Hagar Enterprises, LLC. Witnesses report that Putnam even performed a brief acappella version of “I Can’t Drive 55” to prove his identity.
“He said he was on tour but needed to cash a royalty check,” said one confused teller. “He was wearing red sunglasses and smelled faintly of margarita mix, so I thought it was actually him.”
Putnam was arrested after producing a homemade ID card that read “Sammy Hagar, Rock God.” He faces charges of fraud and disorderly conduct. When asked for comment, Putnam simply shouted, “I CAN’T DRIVE TO JAIL!”

The Facebook page’s intro section makes their true nature quite clear: “While there are actual news stories posted, please remember there are also rumors & parody!”

Despite this, several news outlets reported the story as if it were true. Then the Mount Vernon police clarified that no such person was in their custody. 

In a post to his X account, Hagar notes that “every person” he knows had sent him the story, with his biggest concern being that anyone could mistake the man in the photo for him. “Who knows with AI these days if this is real or not,” he declares, “[but] anybody that would fall for this guy saying he’s the Red Rocker probably couldn’t name one of my songs.”

Read More: How A Coke-Snorting Sammy Hagar Impersonator Fooled the WWF

Earlier this month, Hagar released The Residency, a double-vinyl live album chronicling his recent The Best of All Worlds shows in Las Vegas, which celebrate his time as Van Halen’s lead singer.