On Sunday, Wall Street Journal reporter Erica Orden and hundreds of others shared an entry from the Hamptons police blotter that neatly confirmed every stereotype about Long Island's tribe of rich, seafaring dicks. According to Dan's Papers, one Sergio Eisalat (profession: reality TV star) had reported his copy of "the best egg salad recipe in the world" stolen, valuing the secret formula at $4,000 "for insurance purposes."

A number of outlets ran with the story, including Blisstree, The Braiser and Hungarian gossip blog Gawker.com. Unfortunately for them (and freelance insurance fraud investigators everywhere), the story is completely false.

For 50 years, proto-trolls Dan's Papers have been running hoax news items, their police blotter in particular serving as a venue for the staff's loopier creative writing efforts. Dan's Papers web editor Brendan O'Reilly confirmed to Gawker that the "Stolen Salad" entry was such a prank, saying, "Yes, it is a gag."

Close readers may have noticed the mustard-stained crime shares its premise with 1966's What's Up Tiger Lily? or that the supposed victim's last name translates literally (but not correctly) to "egg salad" in German. Like anything fun, these facts should have inspired only immediate suspicion and alarm.

[Image via American International Pictures]

Antiviral is a new blog devoted to debunking fake news, online hoaxes and viral garbage. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and send your tips to hudson.hongo@gawker.com.