Bait And Switch

Did comedians Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart or actor Tom Hanks broadcast a television program to disclose the names of numerous people not previously known to be implicated by the files of investigations into Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories mentioning those and others were published by a network of foreign websites and Facebook pages. There were…

Does a video show a real scuffle in front of a Grand Central Market between a Cherokee woman and an ICE Agent? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated and was recaptioned for additional ragebaiting effect. It is one of a series of AI-generated videos made with the same, or nearly identical prompts that show a similar clash in…

Does a post on Facebook really offer a "free meat bundle box"? No, that's not true: The post does not provide an actual location for those wanting a free meat bundle box. If people click the link promoted in the post, a series of web pages aim to trick social media users into sharing sensitive personal information. The links send…

Do posts about suspects "Kelvin Buckland" and "Malena Renae Mason" being on the run offer a genuine warning for the members of various local communities? No, that's not true: Such posts were later flipped to promote rental deals. If people click the links promoted in the new versions of the posts, a series of web pages aim to trick social…

Are homicide detectives searching for Joselyn Valdo Santos for the killing of three-month-old Charlotte Jones on April 1, 2025? No, that's not true: Social media posts making the claim are part of a bait-and-switch scam designed to lure you into sharing personal information that can then be sold or used to scam you further. These posts use unrelated mugshots and…

Did viral posts spread an authentic warning about two suspects at large in connection with "the death of 10-month-old baby girl Diana Tyler" in March 2025? No, that's not true: Those posts were an example of the bait-and-switch scam. Their contents were later replaced with unrelated text trying to trick people into following a link and sharing their personal information.…

Did a series of Facebook posts in late March and early April 2025 offer genuine concern over an unidentified woman supposedly found "heavily stabbed" in a black Audi A7, in various locations in the United States? No, that's not true: Such posts were examples of a known "bait-and-switch" scam, which garnered well-meaning shares of the original post before flipping its…

Do posts about a "young boy, around 3 years old," found in The Bronx express authentic concern about the child said to have been found unattended "an hour ago"? No, that's not true: The content of these posts was later replaced with real estate images and obscure links. This is a common tactic to trick people into disclosing sensitive personal…

Are Facebook posts reporting a baby boy was found "abandoned by the roadside roughly an hour ago" in March and April 2025 genuine? No, that's not true: The posts are part of a bait-and-switch scam designed to lure social media users into sharing content that then flips into an unrelated page to boost dubious real estate and marketing promotions. The…

Did a series of Facebook posts in late March and early April 2025 offer genuine concern over Katie Cunningham, a police officer supposedly missing from various locations in the United States? No, that's not true: Such posts were examples of a known "bait-and-switch" scam, which garnered well-meaning shares of the original post before flipping its content to boost dubious real…