Your toolkit
Spot it yourself.
Every claim we check comes with one practical tip. Here they all are.
Be suspicious when an addictive product is pitched as a cure, and ask who benefits from you believing it.
From: Tobacco cures polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), a commo…'Even geniuses failed' stories feel good, which is exactly why they spread; feeling good is not evidence.
From: Physicist Albert Einstein failed maths during his school years.…Search for the earliest upload; many viral clips come from channels that openly label themselves as AI entertainment.
From: A real video shows a woman kicking a cyclist in the head after he had …AI can now fake a cheerful employee on camera; a real offer will also be on the business's official website.
From: Toby Carvery is giving a free carvery for two to everyone who likes a …Watch debris and background objects frame by frame; in AI video they often morph, multiply or disappear.
From: A video shows a plane at Riyadh airport exploding after being hit by a…Factory 'exposé' clips with no company name, no location and no source are prime AI territory; look for a watermark check or a credible news report.
From: A video shows geckos being dried and ground up on a factory line to ma…Old newspaper ads are gold for checking 'I remember when' claims.
From: The Kmart retail chain sold pet monkeys in the 1960s.…Look for independent footage from other angles; real events leave lots of matching videos behind.
From: Tesla posted real videos showing its new Roadster "flying" and perform…If a post blames a routine newborn treatment, look up what problem the treatment prevents; that part is usually missing from the post.
From: The vitamin K shot given to newborns thickens the blood and stops stem…Before sharing a quote, check a reputable quotation archive or fact-checker; if no original source turns up, the attribution is shaky.
From: Albert Einstein once said, "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope…When a post says something is 'secretly' in your food, read an actual ingredient label; hidden-ingredient claims often fall apart there.
From: Federally approved "lab-grown" eggs went on sale in the US in October …A famous person's 'shocking confession' with no date, no outlet and no original footage usually never happened.
From: Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin broke down in tears in an interview an…Clips that are exactly 10 seconds long match common AI video lengths; pair that with a too-perfect rescue and be sceptical.
From: A video shows a monkey rescuing a dog from floodwaters in Thailand by …A sign can be real without being official; check who put it up.
From: There are road signs in Japan warning drivers that cats may jump out i…Check the timeline: details that clash with history, like helping veterans of a war that hadn't started, give fakes away.
From: After John Wayne died, bank records revealed he had secretly bought 1,…When a health video says a common safety habit secretly causes the very disease it protects against, check what a cancer charity or health department says before sharing.
From: Wearing sunglasses causes cancer because blocking sunlight from your e…If a 'rare sky event' isn't mentioned by space agencies or astronomy societies, it is probably invisible or not happening.
From: There will be a rare "two-moon night" on 29 September 2026, when a sec…Look up any 'doctor' in an ad on the official medical register; fake experts will not be listed.
From: An Auckland orthopaedic surgeon has developed a device to treat joint …Big brands do not hand out groceries for comments; check the company's verified page before you engage.
From: To celebrate its birthday, Morrisons is giving a free food box to ever…Fake security camera stills are a favourite AI trick; real incidents come with named zoos, dates and news coverage.
From: Security camera images show a chimpanzee leaving its enclosure to pull…Be wary of any post that recasts a serious disease as secretly helpful; that framing is often used to steer people away from proven diagnosis and treatment.
From: Cancer is part of the body's healing response: tumours are bags that c…'My sister works there and told me a secret' is a well-worn scam opener; real promotions appear on the retailer's own site.
From: If you fill out a short form on Currys' website, you can get a Kitchen…If a post names a big outlet as its source, search that outlet's website; if the story is not there, it is fake.
From: Fox News reported that Fred Savage, the actor from The Wonder Years, h…Check that links go to the company's real web address; logos are easy to copy, real domains are not.
From: UK bank Monzo has officially launched its own online casino app called…'Proven in court' is easy to say and easy to check; real court findings come with case names and records.
From: The 1986 Challenger shuttle disaster was faked, and it has been proven…A reverse image search shows how long a picture has been online, which can help confirm or debunk it.
From: An aerial photo shows a real circular "experimental forestry" project …Even news outlets get fooled; check whether dramatic footage comes with a named photographer or news agency.
From: A video shows people panicking as Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano er…Ask for the name of the wildlife centre; invented stories rarely include details you can check.
From: A black bear carried a wounded raccoon, and later a fox, to the wildli…Ask what is actually in a vaccine: if it contains no live virus, claims that it gives you the infection do not add up.
From: Catching an HPV infection is a common side effect of the HPV vaccine.…Posts built to make you angry about a beloved tradition are classic engagement bait; check the company's own statements first.
From: Bunnings will charge charities and football clubs a $150 site fee to h…When a quirky story names a campaign, search for it; real campaigns leave a long trail of coverage.
From: In 2016, a Faroese woman strapped cameras to sheep to map the Faroe Is…'Number one in the world' health rankings are a red flag; real research rarely produces a single champion food.
From: Black seed oil is the most anti-inflammatory food in the world, and on…Check the page's About section; satire sites often say so, but the label gets lost when posts are shared.
From: Yellowstone National Park rangers warned visitors that ravens had lear…Even true feel-good stories get details wrong; look for the charity's own program page.
From: Actor Gary Sinise has taken more than 1,000 children of fallen US serv…If a 'NASA photo' only appears on fan pages, search the space agency's own image archive before believing it.
From: An image shows a giant spider-shaped rock formation on the surface of …A true fact plus a big leap is a classic pattern: 'it's a hybrid' is true, but 'so humans made it' does not follow.
From: Lemons are not a naturally occurring fruit because humans created them…Check the event against the facts: if an eclipse was only partial where a photo was supposedly taken, a 'totality' shot from there is fake.
From: A photo shows a "ring of fire" total solar eclipse at its peak over St…Family history claims about famous people are easy to check in reputable biographies.
From: Albert Einstein married his cousin, Elsa Einstein.…A 'secret leaked document' plus a precise doomsday date is the oldest hoax formula; real space science is published openly.
From: A leaked NASA document called "Project Anchor" revealed that Earth wou…Ask for numbers: a risk that exists and a risk that is likely are very different things.
From: It's dangerous to shower during a thunderstorm, and people have been k…A real event can still come with fake footage; ask whether anyone could actually have filmed it from that angle.
From: A video shows the upper stage of a SpaceX rocket smashing into the Moo…'So that's where it comes from' shock videos are a reaction-bait format; check how the food is really made before you swear off it.
From: A video shows that the boba pearls in milk and fruit tea drinks are ma…Watch hands and accessories in 'street interview' clips; AI often loses track of glasses, jewellery and fingers.
From: A street interview video shows a woman explaining she still uses cash …Check the official list of award recipients; animal heroes are real, but invented ones borrow real medals.
From: A military dog named Face received the Medal of Honor after saving fiv…With history trivia, separate what happened from why it happened; the 'why' is often added later.
From: In 1884, P.T. Barnum led 21 elephants across the Brooklyn Bridge to pr…Misspellings plus a ticking deadline are the two biggest giveaways of a phishing message.
From: A Messenger message says Meta detected "unusual activity" and will dis…Listen for accents and look at road markings and signs; they often reveal a clip was filmed somewhere else.
From: A video shows a man destroying Flock surveillance cameras in the Unite…Any post telling you to copy and paste a statement to protect your rights is a hoax.
From: A new Facebook rule starting "tomorrow" gives Meta the rights to users…Watch for scary absolutes like 'extremely dangerous' attached to everyday habits; real risks usually come with conditions and caveats.
From: Sleeping with a fan on and blowing at you all night is "extremely dang…When a post cites 'the biggest study ever', find the study's own conclusion; misread research is one of the most common health tricks online.
From: A major scientific study found that using sunscreen "massively increas…Elite teams travelling with chefs is routine; a normal fact plus an invented motive is a common recipe for viral outrage.
From: Norway's men's football team took 2,000 pounds of food and its own che…Feel-good celebrity stories with huge exact figures and no news coverage are a favourite clickbait format.
From: Actor Ryan Reynolds donated the $27 million he earned from the 2016 fi…Colourised archive footage can look uncanny; check whether an archive or museum holds the original.
From: A YouTube video authentically shows interviews with people who were bo…Real photos can carry made-up captions; trace an image back to its original source and read what that source actually says.
From: Side-by-side photos show identical twins, one of whom smoked and sunba…Fakes often ride a real news story; when a clip neatly 'proves' a current worry, check it extra carefully.
From: A video shows bees swarming a motorcycle's fuel tank as it is filled w…Only install apps from your phone's official app store, and ignore forwarded 'upgrade' links.
From: WhatsApp offers a premium version of its app called "WhatsApp Gold."…A real photo can be attached to an overstated claim; the true story is often more interesting than the viral one.
From: Black slaves who escaped to Canada invented ice hockey.…If a quote mostly appears on merchandise and memes rather than in the author's works, treat the attribution as suspect.
From: Mark Twain once said or wrote, "I've never wished a man dead, but I ha…Surprising history claims often have the right date but skip the fine print, so check exactly who a rule covered.
From: Until 1956, French schoolchildren under 14 were allowed alcohol with t…A miracle cure 'backed' by a billionaire and sold only through a long video sales page is a scam template.
From: Bill Gates developed or endorses "Brain Honey" and similar remedies th…If you see an identical 'comeback' story for many different celebrities, it is a template, not news.
From: Dozens of musicians and actors are each stepping back into the spotlig…Big event line-ups are announced by the organisers; compare any post with the event's official channels.
From: Dozens of artists, including Bad Bunny, Barbra Streisand and Barry Man…If a survey stands between you and a ridiculously cheap prize, read the payment terms; hidden subscriptions are the real product.
From: Retailer Tractor Supply Co. is offering riding lawn mowers for less th…Nature footage that is far more spectacular than documentary footage of the same behaviour deserves a second look.
From: A video shows a whale calf feeding on thick white milk released by its…Search the athlete's club or charity announcements; a donation that big would be widely reported.
From: NHL star Sidney Crosby donated $12.4 million to build 75 homes with mo…Look closely at background details, like the length of a train; AI often gets the boring parts wrong.
From: A video shows a cow protecting a child by pulling them away from a spe…Compare small details, like window shapes, with real photos of the spacecraft; fakes often get the hardware wrong.
From: A picture taken through the Orion spacecraft's window during Artemis I…For mission photos, go straight to the space agency's own gallery; anything not there is unconfirmed.
From: Viral photos and clips show the Moon as captured by the astronauts of …Check the date: anything posted on 1 April deserves extra suspicion, especially from new or unverified accounts.
From: Jonathan, the world's oldest known tortoise, died at almost 194 years …Compare viral space pictures with the official telescope image gallery; many 'Webb images' are not from Webb at all.
From: Scientists released a James Webb Space Telescope image of the "Cosmic …Check the web address of any 'news' story that ends in an investment pitch; fake news sites copy the look but not the domain.
From: A bank chief executive stormed out of an ABC interview after an on-air…Very short, perfect-looking clips of 'mythical' or extinct animals are almost always AI.
From: A video shows a lion, said to be a Tibetan snow lion or an Atlas lion,…A celebrity looking older or different is not evidence of a clone; check event photos from news agencies.
From: A body double or clone, not Jim Carrey, received his honorary César Aw…Check whether the original poster is a parody account before treating a 'new product' picture as real.
From: A picture shows a real Cadbury "Eid egg", a halal-certified milk choco…Check the original poster's profile; many viral 'creature' clips come from accounts that openly say they make AI art.
From: A video shows a white dragon captured at a secret government facility …When a clip seems too cute, trace it to its source; here it led back to the zoo itself.
From: A video shows a rhino and a tiny muntjac deer headbutting and playing …Long lists of unrelated symptoms blamed on one technology are a hallmark of health scare posters.
From: A poster says signals from 5G small cell towers damage humans, animals…