False Promotion

Did a viral TikTok video show the actor Sydney Sweeney responding to backlash over her role in a controversial American Eagle ad campaign? No, that's not true: Sweeney posted the video in question more than four years earlier. At the time, she was responding to trending Twitter posts critical of her appearance. The American Eagle campaign was not launched until…

Do homeowners have "only six days left" to claim $52,000 in homeowner relief from a program President-elect Donald Trump initiated in January 2025? No, that's not true: A misleading video touts a nonexistent program to entice people to enter their personal information on a website. There is no record of a program as described, or of Trump saying, "Give our…

Does a video montage show how factories in India make artificial rice out of recycled plastic? No, that's not true: These videos are real, but what the factories are making has been misrepresented. Some video clips show plastic being recycled to make plastic pellets for use in other plastic products -- but not in food. Other video clips show the…

Will Facebook users be able to answer a survey and receive a pair of UGG boots for $10? No, that's not true: The senior PR manager for UGG told Lead Stories this was not true. The survey takes users to two websites, neither of whose URLs are affiliated with UGG or their parent company Deckers. On the first website, there…

Have Visa, Etsy, Adobe, Android, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Mastercard, McDonald's, CVS Pharmacy, Home Depot and Walmart all stopped posting on Twitter, now called X? No, that's not true: There is no indication that the accounts named in this list have, in a coordinated fashion, stopped posting on the social media platform. Some of the accounts have not been very…

Is the offer of a $750 Kroger gift card for answering a few questions after following a link on Facebook legitimate? No, that's not true: The link for the supposed offer does not go to the Kroger website. The terms and conditions for this supposed "gift card" require users to complete a certain number of so-called "deals," which usually require…

Did Elon Musk post a promo code to his crypto project on X, and was that post then used to make a Times Square billboard promotion in New York City? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated image promoting a crypto currency scam. There is no evidence that Musk made this post or that the crypto promotion ever appeared…

Is the offer of a $750 Shein gift card for answering a few questions after following a link on Facebook legitimate? No, that's not true: The fast-fashion retailer told Lead Stories that "this is not a legitimate offer." The terms and conditions for a gift card require more than just a questionnaire. Users must finish a certain number of "deals,…

Did Elon Musk and Donald Trump team up to conduct a cryptocurrency scam that would violate election laws, as claimed in a post on X? No, that's not true: Footage from the 2024 Tesla shareholder's meeting, streamed live, was altered with a fake AI-generated voice and facial synchronizing animation. Musk's original presentation had no mention of "crypto", the altered video…

Did psychologist Jordan Peterson endorse a book called "The Herbal Tablets"? No, that's not true: An online analysis tool found with 97 percent confidence that the audio was generated by AI. The audio track was dubbed over a video clip from Peterson's recent appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. A search of the original podcast transcript does not contain…