Hoax
A hoax is a false message that circulates online and urges the people who receive it to pass it on to as many others as possible
What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.
What it is and how it works
Hoaxes can be fake virus or scam alerts, bogus charity appeals, chain messages with promises or threats, or invented news stories. They once spread mainly by email; today they circulate on messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram and on social media, often as screenshots or voice notes that make their origin hard to trace.
A hoax differs from phishing in that its main goal is to spread rather than to steal data, although some hoaxes act as bait for scams. Before forwarding a message, it is worth checking the source or consulting a fact-checking service.
Also known as
chain message, fake alert
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