1. Hoax Quiz: Spot the Fakes!
Put your hoax-spotting abilities to the test by taking our popular image quiz. It's harder than you think to separate the real from the fake. Take the quiz!
2. Mermaid Sighting (Video)
Viral video purports to show an actual mermaid sighting by amateur photographers in Kiryat Yam, Israel. Status: Fake
3. Carmen Winstead
Chain-letter-style Internet postings tell the story of Carmen Winstead, a 17-year-old girl supposedly pushed down a sewer and killed by a gang of girls from her school. Status: False
4. The Legend of Bloody Mary
Urban legend says if you stand in front of a mirror and chant "Bloody Mary" three times, a terrifying ghost will appear. Status: False
5. Giant Wild Boar Shot in Conroe, Texas
Viral images of a gigantic, 1,800-pound wild boar allegedly shot and killed by a radiology technician in Conroe, Texas (or Potosi, Missouri, or King's Point, Sun City Center, Florida, depending on version). Status: Mislabeled
6. Facebook 'Graph App' and Privacy
Viral postings claim Facebook's new 'Graph App' (Graph Search) compromises members' privacy by making all their photos, comments and likes visible to total strangers. Status: False
7. Pics of Mermaid Body Found After Tsunami
Emailed pictures allegedly show the carcass of a dead mermaid found washed up on a beach near Chennai, India during the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004. Status: Fake
8. Humans Can Lick, Too
Home alone, but there's nothing to fear with your trusty dog keeping watch under the bed. Or is there? Status: Urban legend
9. Hercules, World's Biggest Dog (Photo)
Emailed image of a gargantuan dog named Hercules, purportedly the Guinness Record holder for World's Biggest Dog. Status: Fake
10. Eminem Stabbed 4 Times in NYC!!
Scam postings purport to link users to a video showing rapper Eminem being stabbed by a crazed fan in New York City. Status: Scam
11. Jamie Lee Curtis Is a Hermaphrodite
Longstanding rumors say actress Jamie Lee Curtis was born with male sex organs and underwent a sex change operation as an infant. Status: Dubious
12. KFC Mutant Chickens
Viral messages claim KFC serves cost-effective "genetically manipulated organisms" instead of real chickens at its restaurants. Status: False
13. The Clown Statue
A babysitter calls the parents who hired her to ask if she can cover up the clown statue in the room where she's watching TV because it disturbs her. The parents tell her to call 911, grab the children, and get out of the house immediately! Status: False
14. Bill Cosby: 'I'm 76 (or 83) and I'm Tired
Allegedly written by Bill Cosby — who was neither 76 nor 83 when it first began circulating — this viral rant blames the world's problems on lazy poor people, drug addicts, Muslims, and global warming activists. Status: Misattributed
15. Bill Gates' 11 Rules of Life
Circulating via email, the text of a speech allegedly given by Bill Gates in which he sets out 11 rules for life that kids won't learn in school. Status: Misattributed
16. Mr. Rogers Was a Marine Sniper / Navy SEAL
Internet rumors allege that mild-mannered children's TV show host Fred Rogers had a former secret career as a trained assassin. Status: False
17. Richard Gere and the Gerbil
About that night Richard Gere supposedly ended up in the emergency room with a furry rodent lodged in a bodily orifice. Status: False
18. The Killer in the Backseat
Drivers, take note: That person chasing you at high speed on the highway may actually be trying to save your life. Status: Urban legend
19. The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs
A teenage babysitter frantically calls the police after receiving prank calls from a creepy stranger who repeatedly inquires after the welfare of the children. Status: Urban legend
20. Aren't You Glad You Didn't Turn on the Light?
After coming home late and getting ready for bed in the dark, a college coed opens her eyes the next morning to receive the fright of her life. Status: Urban legend
21. The Fatal Hairdo
Girl with a beehive hairdo that can't be washed dies a horrible death after a spider crawls inside and lays eggs, hatching a brood of hungry babies. Legendary proof that vanity can kill. Status: Urban legend
22. Australian PM Tells Muslim Immigrants 'Adapt or Leave'
Viral message purports to quote Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard telling Muslim immigrants they must learn to speak the English language and adapt to Australian culture or leave the country. Status: False
23. Earwigs Crawl in People's Ears and Eat Their Brains
Claim: "Earwigs are so named because they crawl into sleeping people's ears and eat their brains, causing madness and/or death." Status: False
24. Origin of the F-Word
In which we are asked to believe that the word "fuck" originated as the acronym of "Fornication Under Consent of the King," "Fornication Under Command of the King," "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge," or some other variation thereof. Status: False
25. Don't Drink Bottled Water Left in Car
Viral message warns women not to drink bottled water that has been left in a warm car for any length of time because, supposedly, the heat causes cancer-producing toxins to 'leak' from the plastic into the water. Status: See details
Recently Added / Updated
1. Facebook Privacy Notice
Viral text purports to protect the privacy and intellectual property rights of Facebook members who copy and paste it to their walls. Status: False
2. Supermoon on June 23, 2013
The full moon at perigee (closest approach to earth) on June 23, 2013, called a 'supermoon,' will be the largest and closest full moon of the year. Status: True, with hype
3. DOJ & FBI Raid News Media Offices
Viral "news story" claims agents of the FBI and DOJ raided the offices of the National Report after a scathing story was published about President Obama. Status: False
4. Photo of Mystery Vietnam War Dog Tag
Viral image shows a dog tag recently found in Khe Sanh, Vietnam bearing the name and service number of a U.S. Marine. Status: Authentic
