1. Hoax Quiz: Spot the Fakes!
Test your hoax-spotting abilities by taking our popular image quiz. It's harder than you think! Status: Try it!
2. Hercules, World's Biggest Dog (Photo)
Emailed image of a gargantuan dog named Hercules, purportedly the Guinness Record holder for World's Biggest Dog. Status: Fake
3. Breast Infestation
Viral image and video purport to document the medical case of a female anthropologist named Susan McKinley who failed to seek treatment for a rash and wound up with an infestation of larvae in her breast. Status: See details
4. Cell Phone Numbers 'Going Public'
Forwarded email warns that a directory of cell phone numbers will soon be published and urges users to enter their cell phone numbers on the federal Do Not Call Registry to prevent calls from telemarketers. Status: Mostly false
5. Pam Tebow's Story
Viral email about Pam Tebow, who came down with a case of amoebic dysentery just before becoming pregnant in 1986. Doctors recommended a medical abortion but she refused, ultimately giving birth to a healthy baby boy: Tim Tebow. Status: See details
6. Dunkin' Donuts Gift Card Scam
Circulating on Facebook, various blurbs promise free $100 Dunkin' Donuts gift cards to all Facebook users. Status: Scam
7. The Legend of Bloody Mary
Urban legend says if you stand in front of a mirror and chant "Bloody Mary" three times, a terrifying ghost will appear. Status: False
8. Jamie Lee Curtis Is a Hermaphrodite
Longstanding rumors say actress Jamie Lee Curtis was born with male sex organs and underwent a sex change operation as an infant. Status: Dubious
9. Mr. Rogers Was a Marine Sniper / Navy SEAL
Internet rumors allege that mild-mannered children's TV show host Fred Rogers had a former secret career as a trained assassin. Status: False
10. The 'Truth' About Martin Luther King
Anonymous forwarded email purports to reveal "Four Things You Didn't Know About Martin Luther King, Jr." Status: See details
11. Richard Gere and the Gerbil
Several years ago, "they" say, Richard Gere was admitted into the emergency room of a Los Angeles hospital with a foreign object lodged in his rectum: a gerbil. Status: False
12. Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky
An investigation into the origins and history of superstitions associated with Friday the 13th. Read more
13. Why the Ocean Is Salty
According to this forwarded email, a typical blue whale produces over 400 gallons of sperm when it ejaculates... and you wonder why the ocean is so salty! Status: False
14. Obama Citizenship Case Reaches Supreme Court
Purported AP news story claims Occidental College transcripts reveal that Barack Obama, under the name "Barry Soetoro," received a Fulbright Scholarship only awarded to foreign-born students. Status: False
15. The Clown Statue
A babysitter calls the parents who hired her to ask if she can cover up the clown statue in the room where she's watching TV because it disturbs her. The parents tell her to call 911, grab the children, and get out of the house immediately! Status: False
16. Lady Gaga Is a Hermaphrodite
An online concert video appears to show a little "something extra" peeking out from under Lady Gaga's miniskirt. Status: False
17. Humans Can Lick, Too
Home alone, but there's nothing to fear with your trusty dog keeping watch under the bed. Or is there? Status: Urban legend
18. Picture of Human/Dog Hybrid
Circulating via email, an unsettling photograph of what appears to be a half-dog, half-human creature suckling her hybrid offspring.
19. Vicks VapoRub on Feet Stops Coughing
Forwarded email claims that coughing in children can be stopped '100% of the time' by applying 'Vicks Vapor Rub' to the bottoms of their feet and covering them with socks at bedtime. Status: See details
20. Halal Meat in U.S. Supermarkets
Viral message warns consumers not to purchase halal meat sold in U.S. supermarkets, claiming it is processed in plants "notorious" for "filth and uncleanliness." Status: Mostly false
21. Carmen Winstead
Chain-letter-style Internet postings tell the story of Carmen Winstead, a 17-year-old girl supposedly pushed down a sewer and killed by a gang of girls from her school. Status: False
22. Snopes Exposed!
Forwarded email alleges that the urban legend debunking site Snopes.com is 'owned by a flaming liberal' who is 'in the tank for Obama' and can't be trusted to provide reliable information. Status: False
23. Bill Gates' 11 Rules of Life
Circulating via email, the text of a speech allegedly given by Bill Gates in which he sets out 11 rules for life kids won't learn in school. Status: Misattributed
24. Nostradamus Predicted the 9/11 Attacks
Circulating via email, passages attributed to 16th-century French astrologer Nostradamus purportedly predicted the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Status: False
25. Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do
Forwarded email purports to clue readers in on various "unknown" tips and tricks for cell phone use, including dialing 112 to access a worldwide emergency network. Status: Mostly false
Newly Added / Updated:
1. Facebook Scam: 'Chuck Norris Is Dead' Video
Facebook postings purport to link to a video describing how action movie star Chuck Norris died. Status: Scam
2. Mechanically Separated Chicken
Viral image purportedly documents the manufacture of mechanically separated chicken, a processed food ingredient made using machinery that strips poultry meat off the bone and passes it through a sieve to form a smooth, thick paste. Status: Mixed
