According to a post that is currently being shared on Facebook, a dog saved his family from a fire but was badly burned during the rescue. Supposedly, Facebook is donating $1 for every share to help get the dog’s face fixed.
The post features an image of the dog and its supposed injury.
But, little more than a cursory glance at the image reveals that the dog is not burned at all but simply has a large slice of ham draped across its face.
In fact, the post is just a version of the famous ham faced dog prank that first began circulating back in 2015.
The prank was originally intended to make fun of the countless hoaxes and scams that falsely claim that Facebook will donate money to help a sick or injured child or animal in exchange for sharing and liking.
But, amazingly, at least a few recipients not only believe that Facebook will donate money for sharing but that the dog in the picture actually has a burn injury rather than a piece of ham on its face.
The prank mirrors another hoax post that falsely claimed that a young girl with ham on her face had an incurable skin condition. This version also claimed that Facebook would donate money to help the girl in exchange for shares and likes.
For the record, any message that claims that Facebook or any other company will donate money based on how often a post is liked or shared is certain to be a hoax or a scam.
Example:
And, of course, let’s not forgot poor Ted from the Hoax-Slayer office, who was similarly afflicted:
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
