Business

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…

Did WNBA basketball player Caitlin Clark reject a $400 million deal from Nike because of the company's association with NFL-quarterback-turned-civil-rights-activist Colin Kaepernick? No, that's not true: This claim first appeared in an article on a website with a satire disclaimer. There is no publicly available or credible evidence anything like this ever happened. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

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…

Do the photos in a video on social media accurately show "homeless high-rise" apartments in Los Angeles? No, that's not true: The images are in fact from two different luxury listings in Los Angeles. Several photos are taken from the real estate website listing for an $11.9 million luxury penthouse and the others are taken from the listing for a…

Did the French left-wing coalition announce that it would introduce a "90% TAX on anyone earning €400,000," leaving those taxpayers with "just €40,000"? No, that's not true: According to Eric Coquerel of the left-wing New Popular Front, the rate of 90 percent is planned to apply to the amounts that exceed a certain income bracket. Claims on social media incorrectly…

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…

Do quadruple-boosted people get denied life insurance based solely on their vaccination status? No, that's not true: The American Council of Life Insurers, which is one of the major industry groups, told Lead Stories that it is not aware of the data backing up the claim, pointing out that being up-to-date on vaccines is typically seen as a positive factor.…

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…

Did Bill Cosby go to jail because of an oil company plot? No, that's not true: In 2016 there was talk of a gas company that wanted to use some of Cosby's land for a survey for a gas pipeline but the project never went through. The disgraced actor and comedian was convicted in 2018 of felony sex assault, which…

Did Bill Gates introduce a so-called "maggot milk" product called EntoMilk? No, that's not true: Although EntoMilk, made from insects, was an actual product that existed in South Africa in 2019, Gates was not a part of its release. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation told Lead Stories that the claim he was involved is false. The website of the…

Is Garth Brooks selling his bar and leaving Nashville, Tennessee, saying, "I get no respect in this town"? No, that's not true: The site that originally posted the claim says its satirical articles are "not meant to be taken seriously." Brooks' bar is open and will host a holiday event on July 4, 2024. Brooks' website states that as of…

Did Disney and Google buy the rights to the first King James Version of the Bible? No, that's not true: No sources are cited in the Instagram post where the claim is stated. The claim first appeared in a 2018 article from The Babylon Bee, a well-known satirical website. Lead Stories could not find any supporting evidence that would corroborate…

Did the federal government introduce a nationwide ban on security deposits equal to three months' rent starting on July 1, 2024? No, that's not true: The fact that such laws went into effect in at least two states on this day does not make those laws federal. The website of the U.S. Congress showed no legislation corroborating the claim. Three…

Is a San Francisco street sign that reads "NOTICE: STOLEN GOODS MUST REMAIN UNDER $950" real? No, that's not true: The office of the mayor of San Francisco said the sign was not approved by the city. Nearby Louis Vuitton associates labeled it a "prank." The original poster of this claim wrote on X that the signage was not legitimate.…

Did President Joe Biden err in saying "end of quote" in his remarks after the Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity on July 1, 2024, as some social media posts implied? No, that's not true: There are many ways of signifying a quote in spoken language, including the use of "quote-unquote" or "quote-end of quote" to set off the quoted…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's wife, Olena Zelenska, buy a Bugatti sports car for almost 4.5 million euros in June 2024? No, that's not true: The invoice supposedly proving the claim contained multiple errors. Both Bugatti and Bugatti's Paris-based dealership denied the authenticity of the document shared online and a video supposedly showing a Bugatti employee confirming the claim appears…

Was an unidentified newborn baby found by the police, and will sharing a post on social media help identify the child? No, that's not true: A viral post is part of a bait-and-switch scam, the story is not true and the photo is misused. The baby pictured is Andrew Caballeiro, and this photo appeared in the January 28, 2020, Florida…

Is a social media post about a missing child named 'Chloe' current? No, that's not true: The girl pictured in the post was missing but was safely found as of June 18, 2024. Social media posts share the information about the missing child and then switch to a real estate scam. The false narrative is part of a scam that…

Is there an identical "treasured item" being found in multiple locations at the same time? No, that's not true: The social media posts that describe this alleged loss are bait-and-switch posts. These posts use made-up stories to garner engagement. Once they get enough, the posters switch the content to advertise real estate. The claim appeared in a post (the post…

Was a fire-damaged ship, the Olympic, disguised as the Titanic so it could be intentionally sunk to commit "the greatest insurance fraud in history"? No, that's not true: The baseless Titanic-switch conspiracy is proven false on multiple fronts. The Olympic was in service the night the Titanic sank, and continued to be used as a passenger ship and a troop…