Hoax

Travel 2024-01-24T13:34:15Z

An airline passenger could face a $120,000 bill after fighter jets were scrambled when he joked about blowing up the plane

Spain sent two F-18 jets to flank an easyJet airliner after an 18-year-old said on Snapchat he was going to blow up the plane, per the BBC.
Travel 2023-12-06T04:56:35Z

Hoaxers in Greece are telling tourists to evacuate their holiday rentals or pay a $540 fine amid a housing crisis in Athens

Posters are appearing around apartments falsely warning of a bed bug "plague" that required tourists to evacuate, the Greek Health Ministry said.
Travel 2023-09-22T05:04:33Z

That wild viral airplane video you're watching could be completely fake. This guy says he knows how to spot one.

"If you see these blue lights, the video ain't right," TikToker Chris Grace said.
Culture 2023-08-11T00:48:46Z

Lil Tay rocketed to fame at 9 years old, disappeared from social media, and became the speculation of a death hoax

Here's the story of viral child star Lil Tay's rise to fame and the troubling family battles and controversies that surround her.
Sustainability 2023-08-03T10:01:01Z

I'm a Barbie girl who almost got tricked by a plastic-free hoax

A fake campaign by environmental activists said Barbie-maker Mattel would go plastic-free by 2030. Some news outlets fell for it.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Tech 2023-05-15T10:10:53Z

An Irish newspaper published a hoax article calling false tan 'problematic' generated using ChatGPT by a fake journalist with a profile picture made on DALL-E

The Irish Times article was 80% written by GPT-4 and the hoaxer used a stereotypically "woke" picture generated by DALL-E, The Guardian reported.
News 2023-03-27T06:13:55Z

Rare deep sea shark or plastic eBay toy? Scientists and shark experts can't seem to agree.

The published photo of a deep-sea goblin shark washed up on a Greek beach was retracted on March 20 after other experts questioned if it was a toy.
Media 2023-01-26T17:49:09Z

A TikToker said he won an award for being the first to Google an obscure phrase. The elaborate hoax reached millions and sparked a copycat trend.

TikToker @legbootlegit gained millions of views with a series of videos claiming Google sent him an award for being the first to Google a phrase.
Culture 2023-01-10T20:23:56Z

Here's how a TikToker tricked loads of people into thinking the Mona Lisa was stolen

A TikToker with almost 10 million followers posted a concerned reaction video to the hoax news that the famous painting was missing.
Culture 2023-01-06T17:14:14Z

A romance author returned to social media after faking her own death in an apparent book-promotion ploy: 'I simply want my life back'

Roughly two years after appearing to have faked her own death, Susan Meachen told members of her Facebook group that she was "hoping to write again."
News 2021-12-17T19:04:58Z

Schools in at least 10 states warned parents of a TikTok trend threatening nationwide school shootings, but no credible threat has been identified

There is little evidence to suggest the purported trend ever existed. The DHS said it had no information indicating any "credible" threats.
News 2020-12-24T05:18:49Z

The Colorado couple who said their 6-year-old son had floated away in a flying-saucer-shaped balloon and caused emergency responders to scramble to rescue him have been pardoned

The "balloon boy" hoax made headlines in 2009 with 90 minutes of live coverage of the bizarre balloon and rescue helicopters.
Premium Opinion 2020-06-23T15:04:44Z

Stop taking the police solely at their word

NYPD and union brass created a fake story about a Shake Shack "poisoning." It's time to treat cops like any other source, with reasonable skepticism.
Tech 2020-06-02T17:12:52Z

Twitter suspended hundreds of accounts that used '#dcblackout' to spread false reports of a communications blackout

Twitter suspended hundreds of accounts associated with a hoax that the federal government blocked communications in Washington, DC, amid protests.
Culture 2020-03-31T16:06:12Z

A fake viral tweet claiming that a California graduation would happen on the video game Roblox remains on the platform despite being debunked

A screenshot of a Snapchat of a fake email went viral for claiming a California high school's graduation would take place via Roblox.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Tech 2020-03-25T13:24:18Z

Facebook was wrongly blocking news articles about the coronavirus pandemic for a full day — here's why it took so long to fix such a major issue

As Facebook users posted legitimate coronavirus news stories, the service was marking them as spam. Here's why it took so long to fix the issue.
News 2020-03-22T16:05:31Z

A man was arrested after claiming he tested positive for the COVID-19 virus during a Facebook Live broadcast in a North Carolina Walmart

The man's arrest comes as some people engage in coronavirus-related social media challenges, adding to paranoia surrounding the pandemic.
Retail 2020-03-17T14:53:00Z

A viral rumor about Costco toilet paper being recalled is a hoax

The rumors about Kirkland toilet paper are false. The product is not listed on the Costco website's list of recalls.
News 2020-01-29T12:20:14Z

A YouTuber whose ex-boyfriend faked her death said she never wanted to be a part of the hoax

While ImJayStation is claiming Alexia Marano is trying to ruin his life with lies, Marano tells a story of him being controlling and abusive.
News 2020-01-27T15:48:40Z

A YouTube star admitted his girlfriend is still alive after he uploaded fake videos saying she'd been killed by a drunk driver and he had made contact with her spirit via a Ouija board

ImJayStation, who has 5.4 million subscribers, now says his girlfriend Alexia is trying to ruin his life by accusing him of assault.
View more