A Five-Part Series

The Grift Empire: How Max Polyakov Hides His Financial Interests in an International Web of Online Deception

A Five-Part Series

What is Snopes?

Snopes

/snoʊps/ NOUN and sometimes VERB

We are the internet’s go-to source for discerning what is true and what is total nonsense. Before you scroll further, a few tips on how to “snopes”:

Search

Thousands upon thousands of fact checks and investigations live in our archives. You might want to bookmark this page.

Discover

Browse the most popular or most recent content when you visit the Top Posts and What’s New pages.

Submit

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Send us a note. Your tip could be our next assignment.

Editor’s Picks

Snopes is preparing to release a five-part investigative series based on publicly available records in multiple countries, titled, "The Grift Empire One Space Tycoon Can't Quit."

Snopes Exclusive: An Investigation Into One Tech Investor’s Deceptive Business Practices

Halloween Jack-o-lantern

From the Snopes Archives: Spooky Legends, Halloween Candy Rumors — and More

Frequently Asked Questions

Latest Articles

View all

This picture of Barack and Michelle Obama was doctored to give Michelle male features and pushed the debunked conspiracy theory that her name is Michael.

Doctored Christmas Photo of Michelle Obama Circulates Online

5 October 2022

A message to those users who shared this misleading picture with friends on Facebook: Reverse...

Fact Check

Snopes is preparing to release a five-part investigative series based on publicly available records in multiple countries, titled, "The Grift Empire One Space Tycoon Can't Quit."

Snopes Exclusive: An Investigation Into One Tech Investor’s Deceptive Business Practices

5 October 2022

For 18 months, we've been investigating the business practices of British-Ukrainian tech entrepreneur Max Polyakov...

Post

Are women not signing up for conservative dating app The Right Stuff?

Are There No Women Signing Up for Conservative Dating App?

5 October 2022

Love transcends all ... except politics, apparently.

Fact Check

Sweets, Confectionery, Food

Snopes-tionary: What is ‘Scarelore’?

5 October 2022

There are many names for urban legends on the internet.

Article

This Aug. 16, 2022, photo provided by San Diego Wildlife Alliance, shows an Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle at the San Diego Zoo. The rare and endangered turtle species has finally bred at the San Diego Zoo, as officials announced on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, the arrival of 41 tiny Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle hatchlings. Officials say the hatchings make the alliance the first accredited conservation organization in North America to hatch the endangered turtles. (Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance via AP)

San Diego Zoo Welcomes 41 Endangered Turtle Hatchlings

5 October 2022

It only took two decades, but a rare and endangered turtle species has finally bred...

AP News

Halloween Jack-o-lantern

From the Snopes Archives: Spooky Legends, Halloween Candy Rumors — and More Here's a peek into our archive of stories about goblins, ghosts, black cats, tainted candy,...

Collection
25 Articles

Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Hans Ellegren, centre, Jonas Aqvist, Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, left, and Olof Ramstrom, member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry announce the winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry during a press conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. The winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize in chemistry are Caroline R. Bertozzi of the United States, Morten Meldal of Denmark and K. Barry Sharpless of the United States. (Christine Olsson /TT News Agency via AP)

Nobel Prize for 3 Chemists Who Made Molecules ‘Click’

5 October 2022

Three scientists were jointly awarded this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a way...

AP News

FILE - The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, Monday, June 27, 2022. The satirical site The Onion has some serious things to say in defense of parody. The online humor publication has filed a Supreme Court brief in support of a man who was arrested and prosecuted for making fun of the Parma, Ohio, police force on social media. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

The Onion and the Supreme Court. Not a Parody

5 October 2022

The Onion has some serious things to say in defense of parody.

AP News

Milkman delivering milk after aerial bombing in London during World War II

Is This an Actual Pic of London Milkman Delivering Milk After WWII Bombing?

4 October 2022

"Keep calm and carry on" was the motto of the day.

Fact Check

Toyota City, Japan

Was Toyota City in Japan Named After the Car Manufacturer?

4 October 2022

The company has had an outsized influence on this part of Japan.

Fact Check

Person, Human, Fashion

Yes, Kate Moss Said This About Being Skinny

4 October 2022

Don't try this at home.

Fact Check

FILE - Country music great Loretta Lynn poses for a portrait in September 2000 in Nashville, Tenn. Lynn, the Kentucky coal miner’s daughter who became a pillar of country music, died Tuesday at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. She was 90. (AP Photo/Christoper Berkey, File)

Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner’s Daughter and Country Queen, Dies

4 October 2022

Loretta Lynn, the Kentucky coal miner’s daughter whose frank songs about life and love as...

AP News

Top Fact Checks

coors light slime

Coors Light Recall: Here’s What We Know

The Poptopic blog claimed without evidence that Disney has allegedly offered Johnny Depp a USD $301 million contract deal for him to return as Jack Sparrow in another Pirates of the Caribbean film and a Disney Plus series.

Was Johnny Depp Offered ‘$301M Disney Deal’ for ‘Pirates’ Return?

this is not lauren boebert with two half-naked men

Is This Lauren Boebert With Two Near-Naked Men?

An ad promised a hotel trick for luggage going in the bath tub ASAP.

Is Putting Hotel Luggage in the Bathtub Upon Arrival a Good Idea?

did disney cancel tim allen from light?year

Did Disney Deny Tim Allen ‘Lightyear’ Role Due to His Political Beliefs?

Most Searched

this is not lauren boebert with two half-naked men

Is This Lauren Boebert With Two Near-Naked Men?

folded dollar bill laced with fentanyl

Are Folded, Fentanyl-Laced Dollar Bills a Safety Threat?

A Missouri woman who said she got a sexually transmitted disease (STD) known as HPV from having sex with a man in a car may soon be receiving a $5.2 million payout from Geico.

Court: Geico Must Pay $5.2 Million to Missouri Woman Who Got STD from Sex in Car

The ‘Starbucks Cup-Size Scam’ Video Is an Old Internet Prank

facebook meta

Does ‘New Facebook/Meta Rule’ Permit Company To Use Your Photos?