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Bait And 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
  • Fact Check: '3 Year Old Baby Girl' Named 'Bobbi Renae' Was NOT Found In Various Locations -- It's Social Media Scam To Generate Engagement

    Fact Check

    Was the same "3 year old baby girl," whose name is listed as "Bobbi Renae," found in various locations? No, that's not true: Although social media posts making the claim use an image of a child who was found after being missing, the posts form part of a strategy that seeks to generate likes and shares before swapping the contents…

    • Jul 2, 2024
    • by: Christiana Dillard
    Fact Check: '3 Year Old Baby Girl' Named 'Bobbi Renae' Was NOT Found In Various Locations -- It's Social Media Scam To Generate Engagement Bait & Switch
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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.
Spotted something? Let us know!.

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    Fact Check: House Democrats Did NOT Release Never-Before-Seen Photos Of Jeffrey Epstein With Little Girl In Green Skirt Also Photographed Bound And Gagged-- Images Are Edited Fakes

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  • Fact Check: Lady Gaga Did NOT Participate In 'Vile, Sickening' Blood Drinking Ritual Pertaining To 'Adrenochrome And Spirit Cooking' Art Exhibit

    Fact Check: Lady Gaga Did NOT Participate In 'Vile, Sickening' Blood Drinking Ritual Pertaining To 'Adrenochrome And Spirit Cooking'

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  • Fact Check: Police Did NOT Find Body Of Elderly Woman In Pima County With Clothing Matching Savannah Guthrie's Mom -- Sheriff Says Not True Not Nancy

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    Fact Check

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  • Fact Check: The White House Did NOT Post Alert That All Flights Are Grounded And National Guard Alerted -- Hoax Is Repeated Near-Daily QAnon Hoax

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    Fact Check

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    Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Chuck Schumer Smiling AND Dining With Jeffrey Epstein

    Fact Check

    • Feb 6, 2026
    • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
  • Fact Check: Donald Trump DID Post A Video Including A Clip Portraying The Obamas As Apes He Posted It

    Fact Check: Donald Trump DID Post A Video Including A Clip Portraying The Obamas As Apes

    Fact Check

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    • Feb 5, 2026
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  • Fact Check: Armenian Business In Dr. Oz Video About Hospice Fraud Is A Bakery, NOT Scene Of Hospice Or Home Care Prosecutions It's A Bakery

    Fact Check: Armenian Business In Dr. Oz Video About Hospice Fraud Is A Bakery, NOT Scene Of Hospice Or Home Care Prosecutions

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    • Feb 5, 2026
    • by: Lead Stories Staff

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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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