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David Emery

Urban Legends

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What About That Photo of a Pig-Nosed Fish - Real or Fake?

Saturday March 8, 2014

Pigfish or Hogfish Photo

Gosh, that's a tough call.

Back for Another Bite

Friday March 7, 2014

This is the deadly snow snake. It has bitten 3 people in the state of Ohio and one in Pennsylvania. It's been spotted in other states. It comes out in the cold weather and at this time there is no cure for it's bite. One bite and your blood starts to freeze.

Once the scourge of Paul Bunyan's lumberjacks, the deadly snow snake has returned!

Chipotle '100% Free Food' Ad Is a Hoax / Scam

Thursday March 6, 2014

Chipotle 100% Free Food

This viral ad promising "100% free food" at Chipotle restaurants through March 20 was not issued by Chipotle Mexican Grill, is not valid, and won't be honored at any Chipotle locations. A notice on the company's official Facebook page reads as follows:

There's no such thing as a free lunch - or burrito for that matter. The "repost, tag, and follow for FREE" offer that is floating around the interwebs is A HOAX. Not real. Not from Chipotle.

A March 4 company tweet said the ad is "100% fake. It's a fake offer from a scam account."

All signs indicate that the ad did, in fact, originate as a like-farming scam, of which there are myriad examples circulating every day via every social media platform.

Needless to say, it should not be reposted, shared, or liked.

Instant Debunk: Facebook 'No Swearing' Campaign

Wednesday March 5, 2014

Facebook No Swearing Campaign Against Profanity

FACT: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg probably knows how to spell "campaign."

'Back to the Future' HUVr Board Is a Hoax. But You Knew That, Right?

Wednesday March 5, 2014

HUVr Back to the Future Hoverboard Hoax

No sooner had a hitherto unheard-of company named HUVr Tech posted a promo video for its new product, supposedly a functioning hoverboard as seen in Back to the Future II, than the crowdsourced debunkery began with folks pointing out that there's clear evidence that cables were used to give the illusion of flight, and in one shot you can even see the shadow of a crane rigging as a hoverboarder zooms by.

Now Mashable.com is reporting that the online resume of a costume designer who worked on the shoot lists Funny or Die as the production company behind the commercial.

We knew all along it was too good to be true. Right?

Will Smith Isn't Dead. Here's Why Someone Wants You to Think He Is.

Thursday February 27, 2014

Posts like this keep popping up all over Facebook:

WILL SMITH Died While Filming A Deadly Stunt for 'BAD BOYS 3' - Watch the video on how Will Smith died. Share this video to show respect

But Will Smith isn't dead, nor is he currently filming Bad Boys III, nor is there a video showing how he (supposedly) died.

So, what's with the bogus posts? It's a scam. The posts are spreading because people are being suckered into attempting to view the nonexistent video. Then they're suckered into granting a rogue application permission to access their Facebook profile and post on their behalf. Basically, the bogus posts are reproducing themselves with users' help. Read More...

BiteLabs - Eat Celebrity Meat

Thursday February 27, 2014

Hoax website: BiteLabs.org

Folks are asking whether a new company called BiteLabs is real.

This is their concept: "BiteLabs grows meat from celebrity tissue samples and uses it to make artisanal salami."

Oh, yeah. Totally real.

Did Somebody Invent a Home Kit to Test for Homosexuality? Uh, No.

Wednesday February 26, 2014

As tweeted earlier today...
Apparently there's now a home kit to test for homosexuality

"Just like testing if you are pregnant, a home kit to test homosexuality is now available," reported Kenya's Standard Digital News today. "The kit, which can be used to tell whether one is homosexual or not can be used at home and comes with instructions on how to use it."

A similar story turned up on Nairobi News Online, which noted, "It has been made easier now for one to know at an early stage if one is straight or not."

The Onion: Home Homosexuality Test Now AvailableHomosexuality is strongly frowned upon in Kenya, which has strict laws against homosexual behavior.

The news about a home test for homosexuality is more than a bit premature, however — or 17 years too late, depending on how you look at it. Today's reports are apparently based on a Nov. 11, 1997 feature in the satirical newspaper The Onion touting a fictitious product called "HomoSure."

There is no medical test for homosexuality. Given the inhumane uses to which it could be put, let's hope one is never invented.

You Have Been Warned: Facebook WILL Be Inaccessible Feb. 29-31!

Monday February 24, 2014

Prank

Details inside...

No, a 7-Year-Old Named Eli Moreno DIDN'T Go Missing After Installing the 'Talking Angela' App

Friday February 21, 2014

HOAX: 7-Year-Old Eli Moreno Missing After Installing Talking Angela App


It's time for a reality check, Internet.

An article on the humor website Huzlers.com claiming that a 7-year-old child named Eli Moreno went missing after playing with the Talking Angela app on his mother's iPhone is pure fiction. Nothing of the kind happened. As stated in the disclaimer beneath the article, "Huzlers.com is a combination of real shocking news and satire news to keep its visitors in a state of disbelief." Elsewhere on the site it's claimed that McDonald's restaurants serve "human meat." This is not a reliable source. Read More...

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