• The Top 25: Most popular topics of the past week
• Definitions: Hoax, rumor, urban legend
• How to Submit: Contribute a suspected hoax / legend
New & Updated as of 12/19/09:
The 12 Days of Christmas
Forwarded email reveals the "secret meaning" of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," claiming it was an "underground catechism song" to help Catholics practice their faith despite religious persecution in Protestant England. (Added 12/19/09)
Christmas Cards for Nathan Elfrink
Email chain letter and Internet postings solicit Christmas cards for Nathan Elfrink, a 7-year-old Ohio boy diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. (Added 12/17/09)
Christmas Cards for Jacob Hadcock
Email chain letter solicits Christmas cards for Jacob Hadcock, allegedly a 4-year-old with terminal cancer in Mexico, New York. (Added 12/17/09)
Best Buy Ads Celebrate Muslim Holiday, Not Christmas
Forwarded email urges a consumer boycott of Best Buy on the grounds that its advertising recognizes a Muslim holiday but not Christmas. (Added 12/15/09)
Al Sharpton Blasts Tiger Woods for Lack of Mistress Diversity
Forwarded email quotes Rev. Al Sharpton criticizing professional golfer Tiger Woods for his "lack of mistress diversity." (Added 12/11/09)
'National Gang Week' Alert
Forwarded email purportedly issued by the Tennessee Department of Correction warns of "National Gang Week" activities including the use of a baby car seat with to trick women into stopping their vehicles and setting themselves up for attack. (Added 12/10/09)
Flight 297 Atlanta to Houston
Forwarded email purports to convey an eyewitness account of a Muslim terrorist 'dry run' aboard AirTran Airways Flight 297 from Atlanta to Houston on November 17, 2009. (Added 12/05/09)
Harold B. Estes Letter to Obama
Emailed letter attributed to 95-year-old World War II Navy veteran Harold B. Estes lambastes President Obama for "telling our friends & enemies despicable lies" and advises him to "shape up and start acting like an American." (Added 11/27/09)
Wal-Mart Cash Back Scam
Email rumors claim cashiers at Wal-Mart and other retail stores routinely steal money from customers by surreptitiously triggering the "cash back" option during credit or debit card transactions. (Updated 11/25/09)
Christmas Cards for Recovering U.S. Soldiers
Email flier says Christmas cards can be sent to wounded servicemen and women at Walter Reed Army Medical Center by addressing them to 'A Recovering American Soldier.' (Updated 11/25/09)
Obama's Veterans Day Non-Salute
Emailed picture supposedly shows President Obama neglecting to salute the flag (or the national anthem) at the 2009 Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington Cemetery. (Added 11/23/09)
'We Noticed' - Sherry Hackett's Letter to Obama
An open letter to Barack Obama attributed to Sherry Hackett, wife of deceased comedian Buddy Hackett, accuses the President of doing "more to destroy this nation than the attack on 9/11." (Added 11/09/09)
Ft. Hood Shooter Hasan Was on Obama's Homeland Security Transition Team
Online rumor claims that Nidal Hasan, who killed 14 people and wounded 30 during a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas on Nov. 5, 2009, was a member of President Obama's Homeland Security transition team. (Added 11/07/09)
Noah Biorkman Christmas Card Request
Email chain letter requests Christmas cards for Noah Biorkman, a terminally ill 5-year-old in South Lyon, Michigan suffering from neuroblastoma cancer. (Added 11/06/09)
HR 615 - Congress and Health Care
Forwarded email trumpets an online petition favoring a House resolution urging all members of Congress to enroll in any new 'government-run' or 'public option' health care plan created by Congress. (Added 11/05/09)
The Obama Phone: Free Cell Phones for Welfare Recipients
Forwarded email claims the Obama administration has started a program whereby taxpayer money is being "redistributed" to provide free cell phones and service to welfare recipients. (Added 10/30/09)
The Clown Statue / The Clown Doll
A babysitter calls the parents she's working for to ask if she can cover up the disturbing "clown statue" in the room where she's watching TV. The parents tell her to call 911 immediately and get out of the house! (Added 10/28/09)
Swine Flu Prevention Tips
Forwarded email attributed to various Indian physicians as well as America's "Dr. Oz" purports to give sound advice on preventing H1N1 swine flu. (Added 10/27/09)
Onions and Flu
Forwarded email claims placing sliced onions around the home will "collect" or "absorb" any flu virus present and protect members of the household from coming down with influenza. (Added 10/23/09)
'Gang Initiation Week' Begins Oct. 21
Twitter and text message warnings claim 140 women will be targeted for murder during "gang initiation week." (Added 10/21/09)
Kanye West Is Dead
Messages circulating via text message, Twitter, and social media claim Kanye West died in an auto accident. (Added 10/21/09)
Rush Limbaugh Slavery Quote
"I mean, let's face it, we didn't have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: Slavery built the South. I'm not saying we should bring it back. I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark." (Added 10/15/09)
Exploding Pyrex
Forwarded email claims Pyrex dishes manufactured in the U.S. during the past 25 years may break or "explode" during use due to changes in its formulation. (Added 10/13/09)
Religious Ornaments Banned on White House Christmas Trees
Forwarded email claims the Obamas will have 'holiday trees' instead of Christmas trees in the White House this year, and no ornaments with religious themes will be allowed. (Added 10/07/09)
Amber Alert Hoax: License Plate 98B351
Currently circulating in several states, text and Twitter messages claim a 3-year-old boy was abducted by a man driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse. (Added 10/05/09)
Islam on Capitol Hill / Muslim Day of Prayer
Forwarded emails express alarm that a Muslim Day of Prayer with an estimated 50,000 Muslims attending has been announced for Washington, D.C. on September 25, 2009. (Added 09/25/09)
