Will schools in the United States be closed from August 9 to August 13, 2021? No, that's not true: The claim came from channel45news.com, a known prank website. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on August 4, 2021. It featured a screenshot from channel45news.com that read: BREAKING NEWSAll United States School's will be closed next week.…

Was rapper Lil Baby found dead in a parked car outside his home? No, that's not true: The website that published the claim says it is a "Prank website that is intended for Fun" at the bottom of every page. Users can use the site, and others like it, to prank their friends and family with realistic-looking online news stories.…

Did Pennsylvania state officials order hunters to wear orange face masks in the field? No, that's not true: The Pennsylvania Game Commission said it has not issued such an order. A similar claim for New York hunters also is not true. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by the prank site channel22news.com under the title "Tom Wolf…

Did Florida ban the sale of beer and alcohol after 3 p.m. on March 30, 2020, as part of an emergency effort to curb the outbreak of COVID-19 in that state? No, that's not true: This came from a prank news generator website. The story originated from an article published on channel45news.com on March 28, 2020, titled "No Beer or…

Are armor units at Fort Riley, Fort Hood, and Fort Stewart starting to mobilize to the border of Iran? No, that's not true: The claim was posted by a prank site that allows anyone to create a fake story. It is not true. The story originated from an article published by Channel45News.com on January 6, 2020 titled "Fort Riley, Fort…

Did the United States Marine Corps start recalling Marines in the Individual Ready Reserve to rejoin the ranks of the 2nd Marine Division? No, that's not true: some joker put a notice about it on a prank website that allows anyone to upload a headline, image and short text in order to fool friends and family. Despite the story being…

Is a nude beach soon opening in Marshall County on Lake Texoma? No, that's not true: some joker put up a fake article about that on a prank website where anyone can create a story to fool their friends in a few clicks. The story is not real. The story originated from an article published on Channel45News March 25, 2019…

Have an estimated 90,000 people in Evansville, Vanderburg County in Indiana been diagnosed with AIDS? No, that's not true: the news was posted by some joker to a prank website and it went viral despite the fact that the website clearly says it is a prank. The story originated from an article published by Channel22News on September 9, 2018 titled…

Will methamphetamines become legal in Haralson County, Georgia by the end of 2018? No, that's not true: the only site spreading that news is a prank website where somebody uploaded a two sentence joke article. It is not real. The story originated from an article published on Channel24News on July 10, 2018 titled "Meth to be legalized in haralson county…

Did George R.R. Martin, writer of Game of Thrones, die of a massive heart attack? No, that's not true: someone posted a fake death notice to a prank website, in reality the author is fine. The story is not true. The hoax originated from an article published on prank website Channel22News titled "George R.R. Martin Dead After Massive Heart Attack"…