Crime

Urban legends deal with our fears and worries, so a good many of them fall within a category encompassing crime and criminals. Not only do we have concerns about others’ preying on us and our property; we also laugh at the ones foolish enough to get caught and cheer the police who outwit them.

No, Chinese Authorities Didn’t Seize 7,221 Penises on Nigerian Cargo Ship The operation was allegedly billed as the "biggest seizure of human organs in history."

Labeled Satire

Was an Austrian Police Officer Sentenced to Prison for Posting a Photo of Hitler’s Favorite Meal? The country of Hitler's birth has famously strict prohibitions on glorifying and condoning Nazism.

Mostly True

Does the NYPD Use Robot Dogs in Its Police Work? New technology employed by New York police raised privacy and civil rights concerns.

True

Rumors circulated that there was an active serial killer investigation in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in April 2021.

Is a Serial Killer Investigation Underway in Hot Springs, Ark.? Unfounded rumors have a tendency to snowball on social media.

Mostly False

Was Prince Philip Friends with Jeffrey Epstein? As with many stories concerning British royalty, there is a lot of conjecture to wade...

Unproven

Does Ghislaine Maxwell Have a ‘Dirty’ Jail Cell and Refuses to Flush Her Toilet? Prosecutors responded to lawyers' complaints about “horrific conditions” in the jail cell of Jeffrey Epstein's...

True

Is the Story of Neerja Bhanot and the ’86 Pan Am Hijacking True? In 1986, Pan Am flight 73 was attacked in Karachi airport by hijackers linked to...

Mixture

Comparisons to a recent attack on a woman in New York were made to the infamous Kitty Genovese case.

Was an Asian American Woman Attacked on NYC Street but No One Helped Her? The Internet likened a March 2021 assault near Times Square to the notorious death of...

False

A driver in a car plowed into people at the Taco Bell in Waldorf, Maryland.

Did a Car Plow Into Taco Bell Employees in Waldorf, MD? The driver in a video appeared to ram a crowd of people, some of whom...

True

Does Suspected Boulder Shooter Identify as Muslim, Anti-Trump? As of this writing, it's unknown what motivated the 21-year-old to allegedly shoot and kill...

True

Has US Seen Surge in Hate Crimes Against Asian People During COVID? A study released by the California State University, San Bernardino revealed striking numbers.

True

Drag Queen Story Hour was misleadingly conflated with Cream City Foundation.

No, Drag Queen Story Hour Leader Wasn’t Arrested on Child Porn Charges Inflammatory posts misleadingly conflated two separate organizations.

False