Bait &Amp; Switch

Did police in Charlottesville, Virginia pick up a homeless dogcalled Chloe and offer her for adoption when the owner refused to take her back? No, that's not true: The post that makes this claim is deceptively using a picture of a Texas animal rescue to draw readers to a page on Facebook that employs "bait and switch" content to lure…

Was a young girl found alone at a gas station in multiple cities across the United States? No, that's not true: The claim is a scam meant to trick people into sharing the post. The post is an example of a common -- and deceptive -- method of advertising real estate in local markets. An example of the claim appeared…

Did Robin Roberts, the longtime co-host of ABC Television's "Good Morning America" (GMA) die on January 30, 2023? No, that's not true: As of February 1, 2023, Roberts remained alive and well, and actively posting on Instagram from New Zealand. The post implying that she had died is a ruse to get readers to an ad for CBD products. The…

Are police asking for help identifying a young woman who was allegedly mugged, stabbed and left for dead on a roadside? No, that's not true: The claim is a hoax meant to trick people into sharing the post to garner attention -- a "bait and switch" tactic used by scammers to redirect people to deceptive real estate advertising and other…

Does the movie "Died Suddenly" demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccinations cause widespread sudden death or severe medical outcomes? No, that's not true: The film recycles previously debunked claims that the vaccine is lethal or dangerous for the average person receiving it. More than 5.45 billion people have been vaccinated worldwide and public health experts recommend immunization against the virus, saying it…

Did former President Donald Trump collapse on the golf course? No, that's not true: There is no evidence of his collapse and the assertion is a ruse used to entice readers into clicking on a video about a different Trump-related topic. The claim appeared in a Facebook post from October 10, 2022, under the title "George Conway Just Dropped a…

Did a retired nurse in hospice care just reveal that she had swapped 5,000 babies over over the course of her 44-year career working at many hospitals in the St. Louis, Missouri, area? No, that's not true: There is no evidence supporting this claim. There is however, a very similar story that circulated in 2019 regarding the purported "confession" from…

Does this video prove Ivanka Trump is joining the Democrats to run against her dad? No, that's not true: The video contents do not match the title. Also, there is no evidence the former first daughter is anything but politically loyal to her father, former President Donald Trump. She's even mentioned as a possible running mate should he make another…

Did Donald Trump return to the presidency, removing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris? No, that's not true: This is a clickbait headline that is not supported by the video connected to it. The purpose of the misleading headline is to trick viewers into watching the monetized video and to draw potential new members to the group advertised…

Did conservative political provocateur Dinesh D'Souza die at the age of 58? No, that's not true: D'Souza is alive, and an article suggesting otherwise is just the latest in a long line of celebrity death hoaxes to take the Internet by storm. The claim most recently appeared in an article (archived here) published by environmentdepth.org on November 11, 2019, under…