Ad Scams and Arbitrage

Did Divers Exploring Titanic Make 'Deeply Shocking' New Discovery?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 19, 2020

An 80-page story said that a "deeply shocking," "haunting," and "spine-chilling" new discovery h ...

Are Subway and Pizza Hut Closing Down in 2020?

Written by: Bethania Palma

Dec. 18, 2020

A misleading ad circulated on various websites.

Did the Queen Tell Meghan Markle To 'Stop'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 17, 2020

Online advertisements displayed photographs of Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II with big cir ...

Do Plumbers Advise to 'Pour Salt Down Your Drain at Night'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 15, 2020

An online advertisement enticed readers with the headline, "Pour Salt Down Your Drain Tonight, H ...

Did Clint Eastwood's Net Worth Leave His Family 'in Tears'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 14, 2020

A strange online death hoax about Clint Eastwood's net worth purportedly leaving his family "in ...

Did Engineers Make a 'Grisly Discovery' After Draining Niagara Falls?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 12, 2020

Our research led to a newspaper article from June 13, 1969, one month before Apollo 11's moon la ...

Nick Stahl is Not Dead, Despite Misleading Ads

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 12, 2020

A photograph of "Terminator 3" star Nick Stahl was misleadingly used to illustrate a third-party ...

Is Olive Garden Going Out of Business?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 11, 2020

An online ad promoting a list of restaurants closing in 2020 may have stopped breadstick-lovers ...

Does Pouring Dish Soap in a Toilet and Tub Remove Clogs?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 11, 2020

Pouring dish soap in household plumbing, whether it be a toilet, bath tub, or kitchen sink, has ...

Did a Former Disney World Princess 'Reveal the Truth'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 11, 2020

Disney theme parks have been the subject of countless rumors since Disneyland first opened in An ...

Was the 'Hidden Truth' of Titanic 'Covered Up for Decades'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 10, 2020

Titanic sank on the morning of April 15, 1912, ushering in a series of theories and hoaxes for m ...

Did Richard Gere's Net Worth Leave His Family 'in Tears'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 10, 2020

Actor Richard Gere was the subject of yet another internet death hoax. This time, it was about h ...

Did a Man Find a Lost Cave, Enter, and Drop to His Knees?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 8, 2020

The real stories behind the misleading clickbait about a "lost cave" and a "gold mine" were actu ...

Kate Middleton 'Just Dropped an Unexpected Baby Bombshell'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 7, 2020

In a year as tumultuous as 2020, we'd rather not time travel to the past.

Are Vintage Corningware Casserole Dishes Worth Thousands of Dollars?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 5, 2020

We’re not Corningware appraisers, but we're also not holding our breath on this one.

Did a Woman Find Human Ashes in a $2 Blue Heart Ornament?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 4, 2020

An online advertisement promised a heck of a story.

No, Sean Connery's Net Worth Didn't Leave Family 'in Tears'

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 3, 2020

We recently saw the same misleading advertising network "arbitrage" ploy about a celebrity's net ...

Did the Military Spend $1 Billion on This 'New Vehicle'?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 2, 2020

The vehicle's front end featured a giant ball, similar to the boulder from "Indiana Jones and th ...

Did an Oklahoma Man Rescue a Dog That Had Been Chained to a Cage in the Woods?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 2, 2020

Two stories about dogs found in the woods were combined by a viral content website looking to te ...

Did a Doctor Say 'Stop' After Identical Twins Married Identical Twins?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Dec. 1, 2020

An online advertisement read: "Identical Twins Marry Identical Twins - But Then The Doctor Says, ...