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&Quot;Bait&Quot; And &Quot;Switch&Quot;

  • Fact Check: Fake Social Media Posts NOT Concerned Over Urn Marked 'Zachary Levi Bowers' In Various Places -- It's Real Estate Scam

    Fact Check

    Did authentic social media posts offer genuine concern over the discovery of an urn marked "Zachary Levi Bowers" in various places? No, that's not true: This is a common bait-and-switch scam in which social media users post heart-tugging stories they later edit to display supposed real estate offerings. The same post often circulates under the names of many different towns.…

    • Aug 28, 2024
    • by: Ophélie Dénommée-Marchand
    Fact Check: Fake Social Media Posts NOT Concerned Over Urn Marked 'Zachary Levi Bowers' In Various Places -- It's Real Estate Scam Bait & Switch
  • Fact Check: Teen Named 'Graci Mae Thompson' Is NOT Missing In Various Cities -- This Is Part Of Real Estate Scam

    Fact Check

    Is there a teenager named "Graci Mae Thompson" missing in several locations at the same time? No, that's not true: This is a bait-and-switch scam. In such scams, users on social media post stories that they then edit to display supposed real estate offerings. In one instance, the claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook in a group…

    • Aug 14, 2024
    • by: Christiana Dillard
    Fact Check: Teen Named 'Graci Mae Thompson' Is NOT Missing In Various Cities -- This Is Part Of Real Estate Scam Bait & Switch
  • Fact Check: Plea For Help Locating Missing Daughter 'Nora' Is NOT Real -- Ruse For Social Media Shares

    Fact Check

    Did a girl named "Nora" go missing after she left for school, and will it help to find her if the local community shares a post on social media? No, that's not true: Posts like these are part of a scam that starts with an appeal to urgently share a post, which the spammers will edit later to become something…

    • Aug 13, 2024
    • by: Sarah Thompson
    Fact Check: Plea For Help Locating Missing Daughter 'Nora' Is NOT Real -- Ruse For Social Media Shares Bait & Switch
  • Fact Check: Social Media Posts Reporting Autistic Teen 'Ivan Moore' Missing Are NOT Authentic -- They're A Scam

    Fact Check

    Did a police department report that an autistic teen named "Ivan Moore" is missing? No, that's not true: The teen shown in social-media images captioned with this name is not urgently sought by any police department. This attention-grabbing narrative is a classic trick to get people to share the missing-child post, which will later be edited to become a scam…

    • Jul 31, 2024
    • by: Sarah Thompson
    Fact Check: Social Media Posts Reporting Autistic Teen 'Ivan Moore' Missing Are NOT Authentic -- They're A Scam Bait & Switch
  • Fact Check: Social Media Posts Do NOT Offer Genuine Concern Over Missing Teen -- They Are Real Estate Scams

    Fact Check

    Did authentic social media posts offer genuine concern over a missing teen named Kaniesa Perez? No, that's not true: The posts exploit a real missing teen story and falsely say that Kaniesa Perez went missing on the same day from Dover, Pennsylvania, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, among other locations more than a thousand miles apart. In reality, the teen went…

    • Jul 16, 2024
    • by: Ophélie Dénommée-Marchand
    Fact Check: Social Media Posts Do NOT Offer Genuine Concern Over Missing Teen -- They Are Real Estate Scams Fact Check: Social Media Posts Do NOT Offer Genuine Concern Over Missing Teen -- They Are Real Estate Scams Scam Bait
  • Fact Check: Posts About 3-Year-Old Boy Found Walking Alone Are NOT Authentic -- It's Scam Aimed At Collecting Personal Information

    Fact Check

    Do posts about a "little boy approximately 3 years old" found and "saved" by "Deputy Ryan Braidley" authentically describe a real-life situation? No, that's not true: Near-identical versions appeared on social media, claiming the rescue happened in locations as much as 600 miles from each other. Once social media users re-post and spread them, the posts are then heavily edited,…

    • Jul 15, 2024
    • by: Uliana Malashenko
    Fact Check: Posts About 3-Year-Old Boy Found Walking Alone Are NOT Authentic -- It's Scam Aimed At Collecting Personal Information Bait & Switch
  • Fact Check: Misty Lang Missing ONLY From Decatur, Alabama Since July 4, 2024 -- NOT Other Locations

    Fact Check

    Did teenager Misty Lang go missing after leaving a friend's home in Ohio, Michigan, California, and numerous other locations? No, that's not true: Posts saying she vanished from anywhere other than Decatur, Alabama, are part of a bait-and-switch scam. As of July 12, 2024, Lang has been missing from Decatur, Alabama since July 4, 2024. One example of such a…

    • Jul 12, 2024
    • by: Sarah Thompson
    Fact Check: Misty Lang Missing ONLY From Decatur, Alabama Since July 4, 2024 -- NOT Other Locations Alabama Case
  • Fact Check: Facebook Post About Missing 'Granddaughter Sofia' Is NOT Authentic -- It's Part Of Scam

    Fact Check

    Is there an active "silver alert" in July 2024 for a 5-year-old girl called "Sofia" who is missing in Edinburgh, Scotland, according to a post on Facebook? No, that's not true: A real estate ad later replaced similar versions of the post about "Sofia." These changes appear to be part of a long-established scam that uses a heart-wrenching tale and…

    • Jul 12, 2024
    • by: Madison Dapcevich
    Fact Check: Facebook Post About Missing 'Granddaughter Sofia' Is NOT Authentic -- It's Part Of Scam Bait & Switch
  • Fact Check: Social Media Posts About 'Missing Teen' Charlotte Sena Are NOT Authentic, Are Part Of Scam

    Fact Check

    Is there an active search in July 2024 for a missing teen named Charlotte Sena? No, that's not true: The false social media posts using the girl's name and photos are part of a ruse to entice people to share a post that spreads a scam. Charlotte Sena is the name of a girl abducted from a New York state…

    • Jul 9, 2024
    • by: Sarah Thompson
    Fact Check: Social Media Posts About 'Missing Teen' Charlotte Sena Are NOT Authentic, Are Part Of Scam Bait & Switch
  • Fact Check: Posts Showing Same 'Missing Woman' In Various Cities Are Bait-And-Switch Scam

    Fact Check

    Did authentic social media posts offer genuine concern over a woman with dementia found in various locations? No, that's not true: Though the woman could not be identified, several posts claimed she was found in various cities across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. using the exact same format on June 30 and July 1, 2024. The posts are part…

    • Jul 5, 2024
    • by: Ophélie Dénommée-Marchand
     Fact Check: Posts Showing Same 'Missing Woman' In Various Cities Are Bait-And-Switch Scam Post Swap Scam
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EFCSN International Fact-Checking Organization

Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
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    Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Iranian Crowd Cheering For Cardboard Cutout Of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei

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    • Mar 11, 2026
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  • Fact Check: 173 American Delta Force Soldiers Were NOT Captured In Iran -- Photos Are AI AI Pic

    Fact Check: 173 American Delta Force Soldiers Were NOT Captured In Iran -- Photos Are AI

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  • Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Netanyahu With Six Fingers On His Right Hand -- It's Just A Shadow On His Palm Five Fingers

    Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Netanyahu With Six Fingers On His Right Hand -- It's Just A Shadow On His Palm

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  • Fact Check: FAKE Photos Of Bill Clinton And Stephen Hawking Dressed In Pajamas And A Princess Outfit -- They're AI Creator Admits

    Fact Check: FAKE Photos Of Bill Clinton And Stephen Hawking Dressed In Pajamas And A Princess Outfit -- They're AI

    Fact Check

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    Fact Check: These Celebrities Did NOT Say Trump Is a 'Tough Man' Who Has 'Fought Harder For The Heart And Soul Of America' -- Foreign Clickbait Story

    Fact Check

    • Mar 13, 2026
    • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
  • Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Airstrike On Tehran's Downtism Cafe Staffed By Autistic, Down Syndrome Workers Predates War

    Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Airstrike On Tehran's Downtism Cafe Staffed By Autistic, Down Syndrome Workers

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  • Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Burj Al Arab In Jumeirah Burning After Drone, Missile Attacks -- It's CGI Fake Content

    Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Burj Al Arab In Jumeirah Burning After Drone, Missile Attacks -- It's CGI

    Fact Check

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  • Fact Check: Crowd Behind Trump At Kentucky Rally Was NOT AI-Generated; Phone Videos Show Different Camera Angle Real People

    Fact Check: Crowd Behind Trump At Kentucky Rally Was NOT AI-Generated; Phone Videos Show Different Camera Angle

    Fact Check

    • Mar 13, 2026
    • by: Ed Payne
  • Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Netanyahu With Six Fingers On His Right Hand -- It's Just A Shadow On His Palm Five Fingers

    Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Netanyahu With Six Fingers On His Right Hand -- It's Just A Shadow On His Palm

    Fact Check

    • Mar 13, 2026
    • by: Sarah Thompson
  • Fact Check: The Vatican Did NOT Close Secret Archives Over Epstein Files No Proof

    Fact Check: The Vatican Did NOT Close Secret Archives Over Epstein Files

    Fact Check

    • Mar 12, 2026
    • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
  • Fact Check: British Actress Adjoa Andoh Did NOT Accuse Lord Of The Rings Movies Of Blackface Over Ash Scene Satire Origin

    Fact Check: British Actress Adjoa Andoh Did NOT Accuse Lord Of The Rings Movies Of Blackface Over Ash Scene

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    • Mar 12, 2026
    • by: Uliana Malashenko

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Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.

Lead Stories is a:

  • Verified signatory of the IFCN Code of Principles
  • Verified EFCSN member
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