People Break Down The Biggest Hoaxes In History

It's easier than you think to be a victim of a scam or hoax.

Thanks to advancements in technology, deep fake video or audio recordings have successfully conned countless people out of sky-high amounts of money.

On the flip side of this, technological advancement and cyber security have also helped us all stay two steps ahead of current or recent scams.

Others from days gone by weren't as lucky, as some hoaxes had almost everybody fooled.

Resulting in these cruel acts of deception remaining a sore subject, even hundreds of years later.

Redditor Thealexiscowdell1 was curious to learn about the most legendary hoaxes the world has ever seen, leading them to ask:

"What are some of the biggest hoaxes that have ever happened in history?"

Sending People To Literally Uncharted Territory

"From 1821 onwards Scottish adventurer Gregor MacGregor convinced hundreds of Europeans to invest their life savings and immigrate to the promising country of Poyais in Central American."

"The problem was Poyais didn’t exist."

"He made it up."

"When around 250 people emigrated to Poyais, they found only an untouched jungle, and more than half of them died."

"He kept up this scam for over a decade, producing various documents and guides about his fictional country and securing bank loans on behalf of this promising new territory."

"He made some serious money from this scheme and is directly responsible for the deaths of more than a hundred misled people."- 25willp

What Was So Appealing About A Kitten In A Jar In The First Place?

"Bonsai Kittens."

"Around 2000(ish) some folks created a website teaching how to raise kittens in jars so they take the shape and size of the jars."

"It was all fake, of course."- thebearrider

Better Safe Than Sorry?

"I've always been a 'fan' of that 'there's razors in the candy!' line we were fed as kids."

"The O'Bryan case really gave that one legs."- suhkuhtuh

Trick Or Treat Halloween GIFGiphy

Actual "Fake News"

"The BBC documentary on the spaghetti harvest."- JBR1961

And You Thought Bambi Was The Most Traumatizing Disney Movie...

"Lemmings documentary."

"They didn't run headlong off of cliffs, they were thrown."

"It's still vernacular to follow blindly into danger."- Worried_Place_917

Some People Are Just Desperate For Fame... Others Just Desperate

"I don't know how big it is - but what comes to mind is balloon boy."- Shrikeangel

Giphy

Buck Henry Would Tell You This Was "The Great American Hoax"

"Some hoaxers campaigned to put clothing on animals for moral purposes."- fermat9997

If Only Other Notable Politicians Also Weren't Real...

"A French journalist, Paul Birault, invited a lot of senators and public figures to honor Hégésippe Simon, another politician."

"Lot of people answered, saying how touched they were by the celebration of this exceptional man."

"But Hégésippe Simon was only a product of the imagination of Paul Birault and never existed."- Aplanos

Separating Fact From Fiction Can be A Very Challenging For Some People...

"War of the Worlds"- XeniaDweller·

And You Thought Shoulder Pads Were The Worst Thing To Happen In The 80s...

"I would add the Satanic Panic of the 80s."- suspect108

Why Fact Checking Should Be One Of The FIRST Things You Do...

"The Hitler Diaries were a pretty big one."- plusoneforautism

VACCINES SAVE LIVES!!!!

"That the MMR vaccine causes autism."- teachermanjc

Shame Finger Wag GIF by HarlemGiphy

Antisemitism At Its Worst

"Protocols of the Elders of Zion."- lotus_bubo

"A hoax still reverbing til this day nearly two centuries later."- RockBox26

Still Gets On People's Nerves Though...

"One big lie that some people still believe is that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis."

"It's been debunked, but it's amazing how many still believe it!"- Adventurous-Bet9747

Some people will believe absolutely anything they hear or anything they're told.

Then, too, some people are so convincing that just about anybody will believe them.