The fact-check archive.
Thousands of dissected hoaxes in Indonesian and English: the claim, what the fact-checkers found, and the sources to verify it yourself.
8,224 fact-checks
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Satire – Pope Francis and the ‘Third Vatican Council’
The claims are untrue. The report comes from the satirical website Diversity Chronicle and is a work of fiction. There is no Third Vatican Council and Pope Francis made no such announcements.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Jan 8, 2014
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Satire – ’18 Million Birds Dead New Year’s Eve’
The claims in the message are false. The report originates from the satirical website “RockCity Times” and is a work of fiction. The image has been digitally manipulated. The original photograph showed only a scattering of dead birds.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Jan 3, 2014
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‘My Home is Burning’ Facebook Phishing and Malware Scam
The message comes from a hijacked Facebook account. The friend’s house is not burning and there is no video. Those who click the link will be taken to a bogus Facebook page designed to steal their Facebook login details.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Dec 29, 2013
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AT&T ‘You Have a New Voice Mail’ Malware Email
The message is not from AT&T and the attached file does not contain a missed voicemail. Instead, the attachment harbours a malicious.exe file hidden within a.zip file. Opening the.exe file can install malware on the user’s computer.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Dec 20, 2013
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Tall Tale – Bad Little Boy’s Threatening Letter to Santa
The story is almost certainly fictional. The story comes from the British tabloid newspaper, Sunday Sport, which specializes in publishing ludicrous and fanciful nonsense.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Dec 10, 2013
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American Express ‘Card Not Present’ Phishing Scam Email
The email is not from American Express. It is a phishing scam designed to panic people into giving their credit card details and other personal information to cybercriminals.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Dec 6, 2013
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‘Prayer For The Nation’ Falsely Attributed to Billy Graham
The prayer is not the work of Billy Graham, nor is it recent. In fact, Pastor Bob Russell of Southeast Christian Church wrote the prayer in 1995.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Dec 2, 2013
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PayPal ‘Confirm Your Identity’ Malware Emails
The message is not from PayPal. Links in the bogus message open a website that harbours malware. This message, which purports to be from online Payment company PayPal, claims that recipients must click a link to confirm their identity and activate their…
Hoax-Slayer · English · Nov 19, 2013
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Warning Claims ALDI Beef Products Contain 100% Horsemeat
The message is both out-dated and highly misleading. Back in early 2013, horsemeat was indeed found in some products sold by ALDI and several other grocery outlets. But, the contamination affected products sold in the UK and Ireland.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Nov 19, 2013
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Chinese Teleportation Road Rescue Video
Surprise, surprise, the video does not show a genuine teleportation event. In fact, the video was produced with the help of some clever editing and actors.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Nov 11, 2013
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‘Freedom Award Lottery Promotion Agency’ Facebook Page Scam
The Facebook Page is part of an advance fee lottery scam. There are no prizes and the lottery is not legitimate. It attempts to trick people into sending money and personal information to criminals.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Nov 7, 2013
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Bogus Department of Education and Training ‘Form Receipt’ Email Contains Malware
An email claiming to be a form receipt from the Department of Education and Training is currently being distributed. The email claims that you recently submitted an application form at Business.gov.au and includes a reference number.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Nov 6, 2013
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False and Damaging Rumour – ‘RSPCA Paid to Keep Quiet About Halal Slaughtering’
The claims in the messages are heinous lies. The RSPCA has categorically denied the accusations. Nor is there any credible evidence of any kind to support the claims.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Nov 5, 2013
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Bogus Message Proclaims 'Christmas is Banned: It Offends Muslims'
Christmas is NOT being banned. The image depicts an article reportedly published by The Daily Express back in 2005. Even when it was first published, the story was inaccurate sensationalist nonsense.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Nov 4, 2013
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Marks & Spencer Poppy Sales Three Percent False Rumour
The claims in the message are untrue. Marks & Spencer sells a diamante encrusted poppy brooch for which it donates 30% (not 3%) of the retail sale price to the Royal British Legion.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Nov 1, 2013
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Giraffe Profile Picture Virus Hoax
The claims in the warning are nonsense and sharing it will help nobody. There is no such virus. The threat described in the message is in no way related to a JPEG vulnerability that was discovered and fixed several years ago.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Oct 28, 2013
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Inaccurate ‘Now Hiring’ Toll Free Phone Number Message Still Circulating
The information in the message is not valid. One of the numbers is not in service. Another plays an ‘unable to connect’ message. Another two connect to sales pitches for holidays or gift cards.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Oct 24, 2013
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American Express ‘IrregularActivity’ Phishing Scam
The email is not from American Express. The message is a scam designed to trick AmEx customers into giving a large amount of personal and financial data to Internet criminals.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Oct 10, 2013
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‘Unblock Goverment’ Facebook Phishing Scam
The message is not from Facebook and has no connection to any government (or goverment). It is a phishing scam designed to trick users into divulging their Facebook account login details and other personal information to cybercriminals.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Sep 30, 2013
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Advance Fee Scam – ‘MasterCard World Lottery 2013’
The message is not from MasterCard. It is a typical advance fee lottery scam that attempts to trick recipients into sending money and personal information to cybercriminals.
Hoax-Slayer · English · Sep 26, 2013
Entries are collected from public fact-checking sites and link back to the original article.