antiviral

Model Who Became a Plastic Surgery Meme Says It Ruined Her Life, Doesn't Really Have Ugly Kids

Jay Hathaway · 11/06/15 11:24AM

There’s a persistent urban legend—it’s been around since at least 2004—about a Chinese woman who’d had plastic surgery, unbeknownst to her husband. Her secret was allegedly revealed after she gave birth to “ugly” children who didn’t look anything like her, and the couple divorced over the incident. The story has been debunked numerous times, but not before it wrecked the life of one actual Taiwanese model.

The Antiviral Guide to the Worst Hoaxers and Liars on Facebook

Jay Hathaway · 03/03/15 12:00PM

Facebook is a big and maddening place. Antiviral wants to make it better. To that end, we're putting together a comprehensive guide to the new, bad, weird, and bullshit "news sites" that are appearing on your feed. Here's part one: "Satire."

Store Owner Fakes Robbery to 'Go Viral,' But It Comes Back to Bite Him

Jay Hathaway · 02/04/15 01:55PM

A music store owner in Kingsport, Tenn., had what he thought was the perfect plan to drum up business and deter break-ins at the same time: He'd have someone pretend to rob the store, then heroically pull his gun while the fake perp played dead. All he had to was post the security footage online, and the prank would definitely "go viral."

These Men Weren't Really Tricked Into Sexually Harassing Their Moms

Jay Hathaway · 01/27/15 02:50PM

A Peruvian public service announcement making the rounds today captured two men sexually harassing women on the street, only to find out that the victims of their catcalling are their own moms in disguise. Some sites are treating it as if a prankster's hidden camera actually caught a man hollering at his mom's "tasty panties," but if the scene seems totally staged, that's because it was.

The Last Thing Anyone Should Write About Publicity-Horny Hoaxers Rantic

Jay Hathaway · 01/14/15 10:30AM

Hackers claiming affiliation with the loose hacktivist collective Anonymous began taking down alleged jihadist websites over the weekend as part of #OpCharlieHebdo, a response to last week's shooting attack on French satirical newspaper. The global outrage over the shootings, seasoned with a dash of Anonymous retribution, created the ideal environment for a familiar hoax from some of the internet's most tired, overexposed hoaxsters: Rantic.