Facebook Rumors & Hoaxes

A version of the "Money Bags" chain letter. Supposedly a phenomenon that only occurs once every 823 years, July 2011 had 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays.

A version of the "Money Bags" chain letter. Supposedly a phenomenon that only occurs once every 823 years, October 2011 will have 5 Saturdays, 5 Sundays, and 5 Mondays.

Text accompanying viral image of a 14-year-old boy allegedly "beaten half dead" by his stepfather claims Facebook will donate 45 cents every time the posting is shared toward defraying medical expenses.

Viral Facebook posting claims 52 unwanted thoroughbred horses will be slaughtered unless people volunteer to give them homes.

Viral wall postings claim a little boy will receive a free heart transplant if a photo of him is shared 100 times.

Hoax circulating via Facebook, Twitter, and text message falsely claims a 3-year-old boy was abducted by a man driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse, license plate number 98B351.

Hoax message claims a 3-year-old child was abducted by a man driving a grey car, Quebec license plate #72B 381 (or Q72B381).

The sad, untrue story of 7-year-old lung cancer victim Amy Bruce — another Internet 'dying child' who doesn't really exist.

Circulating on Facebook, online rumor claims seven people have died after receiving anthrax-contaminated Tide samples in the mail.

Circulating on Facebook and Twitter, a prayer request for 2-year-old "Audrin King" (actually Audri Kate King), who has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Viral alert circulating on Facebook warns users not to accept friend requests from Bobby Roberts, an alleged hacker.

Links to a nonexistent video entitled "Charlie Sheen Found Dead at Home" have prompted the circulation of warnings that the links contain a "virus." Security experts say it's a clickjacking scam.

Wall postings warn of a supposed "worst ever trojan-virus" circulating in the form of a Facebook application.

Facebook status updates call for honoring fallen U.S. Marine Cpl. Derek Wyatt, who was killed in Afghanistan, leaving behind a wife and newborn son.

Prayer chain letter circulating via Facebook and Twitter requests prayers for Diego Mendez, a 5-year-old boy said to be critically injured when a TV set fell on his head.

Viral image replicating on Facebook purports to document a 'new trend' at dog parks, namely people leaving cheese and ham mixed with nails to cause injury and death to pets.

Viral wall postings claim Facebook has suddenly made all members' phone numbers accessible to the public.

Fast-spreading rumor claims the idea of replacing Facebook profile photos with pictures of cartoon characters was started by pedophiles.

Online postings claim the social media website Facebook is about to start charging members a monthly fee for basic services.

Chain message circulating on Facebook claims the service is overpopulated and "unacceptably slow," so members must prove they're still active by reposting or forwarding the message to others.

Online rumor claims Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the site will be shutting down on March 15, 2011.

Scam messages and wall postings purport to offer an app that reveals who is "stalking" you or "creeping around your profile" on Facebook.

Chain message claims Facebook plans on charging everyone but those who spread the message a fee for basic services beginning this summer.

Rumor claims jars of Gerber Banana Baby Food with 2012 expiration date should be returned because they may contain glass.

Scam Facebook postings tout video of a girl who supposedly killed herself on Halloween. Links redirect users to a survey page.

Circulating on Facebook: warnings that wall postings about a girl who committed suicide contain a devastating computer virus.

Viral wall posting claims hackers are gaining control of Facebook members' accounts and posting links to pornographic movies on their profile pages.

Prayer chain letter circulating via Facebook and Twitter requests prayers for Harly A. Andrews (also spelled Harley A. Andrews), a 5-year-old said to be in intensive care after being injured in an automobile accident.

According to wall postings, members can help save a kid with eye cancer by sharing the message, for which Facebook will pay one dollar per share.

Viral alerts warn users to avoid opening messages with an attachment called 'INVITATION FACEBOOK' which supposedly contains a virus that opens an Olympic torch and "burns your hard drive."

Viral prayer request circulating on behalf of "Kayla Scott" (and several other names) claims a 22-month-old boy was critically injured while playing with a brad nailer (nail gun).

Hoax message circulating among Facebook users warns that accepting friend requests from members named Linda Smith, Jason Lee, Jason Allen, Amy Allen (and others) will cause a virus to be downloaded to your computer.

A "new" viral message warns Facebook users of a virus supposedly transmitted when you receive a notification that you've been tagged in a picture and click on a link to see it.

Phoney status updates purport to link to a video showing a spider growing under someone's skin. It's actually a self-replicating survey scam.

Scam wall postings promise free Starbucks gift cards to users who share the offer with friends.

Wall posts offering Facebook members a "Limited Time!" opportunity to change their profile to include a gold, black, pink, or red logo are a scam designed to redirect traffic to online survey sites

Scam wall postings promise free Tim Hortons gift cards to users who share the offer with friends.

Viral postings tout a New Year's Eve service provided by AAA called "Tipsy Tow," a free alternative to drinking and driving.

Beware of Wall postings inviting you to view a "graphic video" of a whale smashed against a building by the March 11 tsunami in Japan.