False Promotion

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…

Did Elon Musk launch an AI cryptocurrency trading platform called Bitsoft 360 AI? No, that's not true: This video of Musk was taken from a guest appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast on September 7, 2018, and its transcript shows Musk never said, "I launched an AI cryptocurrency trading platform called Bitsoft 360." The fabricated audio has been added to…

Did Elon Musk promote a brand of sea moss as a remedy to help a variety of health issues? No, that's not true: This video footage that appears to show Musk volunteering an endorsement during an interview is fake. The clip was taken from an appearance at the TED2022 conference, where Musk discussed purchasing Twitter and other topics but did…

Is Six Flags amusement park corporation sponsoring a promotion on Facebook that offers up to eight complimentary Six Flags tickets? No, that's not true: In 2016 Six Flags posted a "Fraud Alert" on its website warning of social media posts promising tickets for taking a survey or forwarding a post. Six Flags warns that legitimate promotions are posted on the…

Has a professional athlete never lived to be 100 years old, thus evidencing that exercise "doesn't increase lifespan" and "in fact, exercise can shorten lifespan"? No, that's not true: Globally, there are a number of professional athletes who have lived to be 100 years old and beyond, including several of whom are alive as of this publication. Furthermore, scientific evidence…

Did Bud Light introduce a new "lol CRYBABIES" billboard campaign as a response to recent backlash over the brand's association with transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney? No, that's not true: This is not a real ad campaign from Bud Light. The "lol CRYBABIES" image is a digital manipulation by TikTok video creator @.jamisonlightfoot, who has posted other videos with…

Can simply answering three or four questions and paying a nominal handling fee qualify people to redeem tickets, receive expensive products, $500 or even $1,000 gift cards, store credit or compensation from well-known brands? No, that's not true: In the first quarter of 2023, Lead Stories tracked a large-scale phishing operation on Facebook that manipulatively tricks people into divulging personal…

Is the fast-fashion clothing brand SHEIN offering $1,000 in store credit to Facebook users for simply answering four questions? No, that's not true: SHEIN is a real clothing brand but this is not their promotion. The empty promise of store credit is a ruse to get people to enter personal information on a malicious website under the guise of taking…