Each morning, we fire up our email and send all the forwarded “jokes” and lame “alerts” from “friends” on a quick trip to the trash folder. However, some folks turn to Search to check the veracity of the items in their inboxes before hitting the “Delete” key. If you’ve fallen victim to the vicious rumors or Internet hoaxes below, let us set the record straight.
First up, “missing teen” Ashley Flores. Her face is so sweet in the heartbreaking email, you to want to help. Problem is, there is no Ashley Flores missing from Philly, and searching on her won’t make it so. The hoax peaked in the Buzz on May 18, spiked again on May 22 as people returned from the weekend, then it slipped. The fake item rebounded yesterday, up 65% as the email continues to spread to the unsuspecting.
Next up, the lovely Aishwarya Rai was the victim of some vicious rumors reporting her supposed demise. Searches on the beautiful Bollywood actress are usually sky-high, but the purported story of her death in a car accident sent them soaring into the stratosphere. Queries on “aishwarya rai accident,” “aishwarya rai dead,” and “aishwarya rai killed” were just a few of the variations we saw as the fake story forced searchers to seek the truth.
And there’s always an exception—a story that seems impossible to believe but turns out to be true. Remember cyclops kitty? Or the photo of Brian Peppers? In that vein, if the story of a baby born in China with three arms lands in your inbox, don’t dismiss it. The story is true, and searches on the infant with two left arms have broken down the barricades of Buzz. Photos and news on the baby are also popular with searchers trying to determine the facts.
