Bait-And-Switch

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…

Did good Samaritans bring a critically injured dog who had been hit by a vehicle to a veterinary clinic? And is there now an effort to try to find the owners of the injured dog so the owners know what happened to her and where she is? No, that's not true: Although this did happen in Alberta, Canada, on August…

Does a video of a congressional hearing show Sen. Ted Cruz leaking incriminating information about U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, claiming that the nation's top law enforcer will "rot in jail"? No, that's not true: It's a bait-and-switch. The Texas senator never uses the phrase, nor mentions Garland, during the video. The claim appeared in an October 5, 2022, Facebook…

Did Sen. Ted Cruz angrily call Rep. Adam Schiff a "son of a bitch" in public remarks during a news conference held by Senate Republicans? No, that's not true: Cruz criticized only President Joe Biden during his remarks and never mentioned Schiff nor used the phrase "son of a bitch." The claim appeared in text for a video posted on…

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…

Will sharing this picture on social media of a baby who was born blind help raise the $200,000 needed for treatment that could help the child see? No, that's not true: This post is a classic example of "share-baiting," and it has been circulating since 2017. WhatsApp, because of its encrypted design, cannot even trace the number of times a…

Did a mother publish photos of her baby along with a plea for the public to share the post and wish him a Happy Birthday? No, that's not true: These photos were taken from the mother's blog without permission and are being used as "engagement bait" by a shady network of websites. It is not the baby's third birthday. The…

Is "Pizza Gate" real? No, that's not true: So-called proof for Pizzagate is unsubstantiated and speculative. It relies on tricks of the trade common to people pushing unproven allegations. Authorities have described Pizzagate as a "fictitious online conspiracy theory." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook on August 21, 2020. The post contains a nearly hour-long…

Do photos show mass microchipping has begun in Sweden? No, that's not true: Only a few thousand Swedes have had the rice- grain-sized chips implanted under the skin of their hand over the past several years, hardly a "mass microchipping" of Sweden's population of more than 10 million people. Some of the photo examples used in an article making the…