False Promotion

Did former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama appear in a video promotion for a federal program giving out monthly $5,600 health spending cards to spend on bills, gas, groceries or "anything else you can think of"? No, that's not true: A video of Michelle Obama taken from a BBC interview has been altered with a fake voiceover that sounds like…

Did Dr. Mehmet Oz promote a gummy cure to "clean out your blood vessels"? No, that's not true: For years the celebrity Dr. Oz has been the subject of false promotional advertising using his name and likeness to sell products, and he has been outspoken about the problem, warning his audience to avoid the scams. Several video clips showing Oz…

Did the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps place Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Dr. Karen Hacker under arrest for committing "treason, abuse of office, and defrauding the country"? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer and representatives of the CDC told Lead Stories that this claim is false. The website where this claim was made publishes…

Does a video on Facebook show singer Cardi B. endorsing a "health spending card" from the U.S. government? No, that's not true: The footage of music artist Belcalis Almanzar-Cephus comes from a video in which she promoted a "holiday drink" she had made; not a health spending card. The U.S. government has denounced as scams any "spending cards" supposedly issued…

Does a video on Facebook show actor Michael B. Jordan endorsing a "health spending card" promotion? No, that's not true: Jordan's public relations team confirmed to Lead Stories that this claim is false. Lead Stories previously has debunked fake promotions, such as the one linked to this post, as scams to get social media users' personal information. The claim appeared…

Did Elon Musk promote an investing platform on SABC News South Africa? No, that's not true: This video post uses inauthentic audio dubbed over an authentic video of Musk speaking during a Fox News interview in April 2023. No such report on the South African Broadcasting Corporation website was found. This resembles multiple prior posts making false claims that Musk…

Does a video on Facebook show actress Jada Pinkett Smith endorsing a "health spending card" promotion? No, that's not true: The audio in this post is fake, as she was talking about her health in at least one of the video clips used in this claim -- not a "health spending card." Fake promotions, such as the one linked to…

Should cracked watermelon not be eaten because the cracks may be from the plant growth regulator forchlorfenuron, which causes cancer and neurological complications? No, that's not true: The cracks in the flesh of watermelon are caused by poor pollination, a University of Delaware expert told Lead Stories. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says forchlorfenuron is used on grapes and kiwifruits…

Did CNN break the news that Elon Musk was unveiling an investment project, and did Musk make a guest appearance via live feed to introduce his new AI trading platform? No, that's not true: This fake promotion is made with real but repurposed video clips that have had an AI text-to-speech voiceover added to them. The video of Musk was…

Did Nicole Schwab -- daughter of World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab -- say, "permanent climate lockdowns [are] coming -- whether you like it or not"? No, that's not true: There is no record of Nicole Schwab having said that. An article that falsely reported the quote in July 2023 self-debunks by including a link to an authentic video…