Hoaxes

The Al Mujahedeen Brigade claimed they had captured a U.S. solider and said they would behead him if Iraq prisoners weren't released. But it's pretty clear from looking at the photo that their "hostage" is actually an action figure. Read the full story.

The unapproved, "viral" ad depicted a suicide bomber blowing himself up next to a VW, which absorbed the blast. VW threatened to sue the ad's creators, but instead accepted their apology. Read the full story.

An excellent write-up on a honest-to-God scam in which people approach unsuspecting motorists, explain that they've run out of gas, and ask for gas money. A variant includes mothers who allegeldy need money for their baby's formula and diapers. Read the full story.

A news story draws inspiration from an urban legend in which a golfer swears off the game for life, throws his golf club bag into a pond ... and forgets his car keys were in the bag with them Read the full story.

There's an e-mail going around saying that Starbucks is dissing American troops; it's not true. Read the full story.

So it turns out Shatner wasn't filming a low-budget movie in Iowa; instead he was filming a "reality TV show" about the hoax of filming a movie in Iowa. Read the full story.

A new e-mail is circulating the net claiming that the Bush administration is quietly attempting to bring back the draft, with an eye towards springing it on the country in Spring 2005, after the elections are over. In truth, while almost all of the elements in the e-mail are true -- there are draft bills before the Legislature, the Selective Service has been overhauling it's operations -- the spin the e-mail gives them is dubious at best.

There's an old internet rumor going around that claims a film depicting Jesus and his followers as gay men is going to be released. It's not true. Read the full story.

Snopes explains the real story behind an Iraqi sculptor who crafted a statue of an American solider from melted down bronze statues of Saddam Hussein. Read the full story.

While the specific text of an e-mail claiming a rapist is masquarading as a police officer may be bogus, Snopes says that this sort of thing has happened before. They recommend calling 911 if you are in danger though; the #77 number mentioned in the e-mail isn't used by all police departments. Read the full story.