Did a man named Anthony Hanes participating in the #BirdBoxChallenge try to go around blindfolded in a bad neighbourhood and did he get jumped and robbed? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a site that publishes invented stories about weird crimes, strange sex acts and other odd events but purely for entertainment purposes. It is not real.
The story originated from an article published by Huzlers on January 2, 2019 titled "Man Doing 'Bird Box Challenge' Gets Jumped And Mugged In Hood #BirdBoxChallenge" (archived here) which opened:
Netflix's new horror film "Bird Box" has people online attempting a new kind of challenge: going around blindfolded. The movie has spawned the internet sensation known as the #BirdBoxChallenge, with some people poking fun at the film.
Anthony Hanes tried to do the challenge himself and ended up in a drug dealing neighbor hood know robberies. Anthony says all he remembers is someone screaming "WORLD STAR!!" as he was attacked and robbed by criminals. No one has yet been arrested but Anthony Hanes told police he knew it was a bad idea.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Man Doing 'Bird Box Challenge' Gets Jumped And Mugged In Hood #BirdBoxChallenge
Netflix's new horror film "Bird Box" has people online attempting a new kind of challenge: going around blindfolded. The movie has spawned the internet sensation known as the #BirdBoxChallenge, with some people poking fun at the film. Anthony Hanes tried to do the challenge himself and ended up in a drug dealing neighbor hood know ...
The image used to illustrate the story seems to be taken from a video that has been circulating the internet since at least 2012, years before the movie "Bird Box" came out.
Huzlers styles itself as a "fauxtire" website and carries a disclaimer at the bottom of each page:
Huzlers.com is the most infamous fauxtire & satire entertainment website in the world. If it's trending on social media you'll find it here!
According to Splinter News the site is run by Pablo Reyes and David Martinez and according to Buzzfeed Reyes is involved with several other fake news websites. They tend to shy away from political stories, opting instead to write for a more "urban" audience, with stories about rappers, criminals and celebrities.
We wrote about huzlers.com before, here are our most recent articles that mention the site:
- Fake News: Man NOT Hospitalized After His Apple Airpods Exploded In His Ear
- Fake News: Judge Did NOT Order Premium Snapchat Model to Pay $60k in Taxes to IRS After Multiple Reports by Internet Users
- Fake News: Florida's 'Neck Guy' Did NOT Undergo Plastic Surgery To Decrease Neck Size
- Fake News: Man Did NOT Beat Little Brother After He Found Him Masturbating During "No Nut November"
- Fake News: Bill Nye The Science Guy NOT Arrested For Manufacturing And Distribution Of Drugs From His Lab
