Hoax Hunters
Some stories are too good to be true. And some lies are too good not to believe.Hoax Hunters is your daily deep dive into the anatomy of a lie. We track down history's most audacious frauds, forgeries, and fakes—from the lost princess who wasn’t lost, to the petrified giant that captivated a nation, to the Martian invasion that never happened.Each episode is a forensic investigation into a single, masterful deception. We’ll meet the brilliant con artists, the charismatic cult leaders, and the scientific frauds who managed to fool the world.But the real mystery isn't how th...
Episodes
The Man Who Sued PEPSI for a FIGHTER JET
What happens when a 21-year-old college student takes a joke in a soda commercial literally... and tries to claim his 32-ton military fighter jet? This isn't a joke. This is the true story of the wildest lawsuit of the 90s.This is the legen…
The STAB in the Back: The LIE That Built the Third Reich
How do you destroy a democracy? You don't need bombs. You just need one, perfect lie. This is the story of the deadliest piece of fake news in history and its terrifyingly relevant blueprint for today.Welcome to an investigation into the "S…
The Boy in the BUBBLE: A Story of LIES, Anger, and SCID
You remember the story of the smiling "Bubble Boy," the brave medical marvel who captivated the world? Forget everything you think you know. That boy was a media creation, and the truth is so much darker.This is the real story of David Vett…
The World's Most MYSTERIOUS Book: A Code, a Hoax, or Something Else?
What if the world's most mysterious book, a 600-year-old enigma that has baffled the world's best codebreakers, is nothing more than a genius-level prank? This is the story of the Voynich Manuscript, a 15th-century book housed at Yale, fill…
The Zodiac Cipher Hoax: Why the Killer's Last Code is a Lie
Was the Zodiac Killer a cryptographic genius who left behind a final, unsolvable puzzle... or just a madman who scribbled nonsense he couldn't even solve himself?This podcast cracks open the infamous case of the Zodiac Killer, but we're not…
Wash Wash: Inside the BLACK MONEY SCAM That Fools Millions
What if you were offered a chance to turn $10,000 into a million, using nothing but a special chemical and a box of "black money"? It’s a promise that has led to financial ruin, heartbreak, and even death for its victims.Welcome to the shad…
Was ATLANTIS Real? The FINAL Verdict
What if the greatest conspiracy isn't a modern invention, but a 2,400-year-old story about a sunken city? We’re peeling back the layers on the Lost City of Atlantis, a name that sparks endless debate. Was it a real place wiped out by a cata…
The WHITE Woman Who FAKED Being BLACK for a Decade (Rachel Dolezal)
In 2015, the president of an NAACP chapter was outed by a source no one expected: her own parents. The bombshell? She was a white woman who had been faking her race for a decade.This is the story of Rachel Dolezal, a name that ignited a nat…
What Happened to HITLER'S Body?: The Skull, The Teeth, & The Lies
For over 60 years, Russia claimed to hold the ultimate trophy of World War II: a fragment of Adolf Hitler's skull with a bullet hole. There was just one problem... a 2009 DNA test proved it belonged to a woman.This single, shocking piece of…
The 'GHOST in the Machine': The Man Who Claimed a Poltergeist Was in His Computer
Ever felt like your computer was... watching you? That a random glitch felt a little too personal? You're about to find out why. We begin with the bizarre case of a man who claimed a poltergeist was living in his computer, a hoax that ignit…
Viral Nightmare: Was Tara the Android a Real AI or a Serial Killer's Muse?
Remember that creepy video from 2009 of a weird android singing "I Feel Fantastic"? It’s one of the internet's most enduring mysteries. But what if Tara the Android wasn't just a quirky project, but a real, advanced AI that got too smart… a…
America's First VAMPIRES Weren't Monsters, They Were FAMILY.
Long before Dracula, a real and terrifying vampire stalked New England, turning terrified families against their own dead. But this monster wasn't a caped count—it was a disease they didn't understand.Welcome to the podcast that unearths on…
Unicorns & Winged HUMANOIDS: The Newspaper That 'Discovered' LIFE on the MOON
Long before "fake news" was a buzzword, one newspaper pulled off the greatest media prank in history, convincing the world that scientists had discovered unicorns, bipedal beavers, and flying bat-men on the Moon.Get ready to explore the ori…
Sane in an INSANE Place: The Lie That Changed Psychiatry Forever
What if you were perfectly sane, but you couldn't convince a single doctor of the fact? What if every normal thing you did—even writing in a diary—was twisted into proof of your insanity? In 1973, eight people lived that nightmare on purpos…
The Man Who NEVER Jumped: The D.B. Cooper Inside Job
He bought a one-way ticket, demanded $200,000, and parachuted into a freezing storm... or did he? What if the greatest vanishing act in American history was all a lie, and the real mystery isn't where D.B. Cooper landed, but if he ever jump…
The Phantom TikTok Rizz Party Hoax That Caused Chaos in NYC
How did one streamer, a single slang word, and a promise of free PlayStations unleash a full-blown riot that shut down New York City? This isn't just a story about a giveaway gone wrong; it's a masterclass in modern chaos.You've seen the vi…
The Day a Phantom Anesthetist Gassed an Entire Town (The Mad Gasser of Mattoon)
He was a phantom with a sweet-smelling gas, paralyzing victims in their beds. He terrorized an entire town. But what if the most terrifying part of the story is that he was never there at all?This is the chilling true story of the Mad Gasse…
The Salem Witches Weren't BURNED at the Stake (And Other LIES Your Brain Believes)
Picture the Salem Witch Trials. What do you see? A woman in a black hat, burning at the stake, right? What if I told you that image is a complete lie—a collective false memory implanted in our minds? And the truth of what actually happened …
The Oak Island MONEY Pit: Buried TREASURE or a 200-Year-Old HOAX?
For over 200 years, men have poured their fortunes—and their lives—into a single, muddy hole on a remote Canadian island. Are they chasing the world's greatest buried treasure, or are they the victims of a 200-year-old prank?Welcome to "Hoa…
The Zodiac Killer's Ciphers: Genius Code or Elaborate Hoax?
The Zodiac Killer terrified a nation with his crimes, but his most enduring legacy is a series of cryptic puzzles. Was he a genius cryptographer taunting the world... or was it all just an elaborate, twisted game to make a fool of us all?We…
The $400,000 LIE: Unpacking the Johnny Bobbitt GoFundMe SCAM
You’ve seen the story. The viral GoFundMe that restores your faith in humanity, the one you share with the caption, "I'm not crying, you're crying!" But what if the whole thing was a perfectly crafted lie, designed to weaponize your kindnes…
Earth's MISSED Call: The Unexplained WOW! Signal
Imagine listening to the silent static of the universe for years, and then, for 72 seconds, someone says hello.This is the incredible true story of the Wow! Signal, the ultimate cosmic cold case. In 1977, a giant radio telescope in Ohio, pa…
How the Media Created a MONSTER (The MOMO Challenge PANIC)
Let's be honest, you remember the face. That terrifying, bird-like sculpture that haunted your social media feeds and became every parent's worst nightmare. But what if I told you the real monster wasn't Momo, but... us?In this episode, we'…
The Billion-Dollar BLOOD Test That NEVER Existed
What if the most charismatic person you ever met was also the most dangerous liar? What if they could charm their way to a $9 billion valuation with a product that never even existed?This isn't a movie script; it's the story of Theranos. In…
COLD FUSION: How Two Scientists & The Media Created a FALSE Revolution
What if you could solve the world's energy crisis with a simple jar of water on your kitchen table? In 1989, two scientists announced they had done just that, promising a future of unlimited, clean energy. The world held its breath. Was thi…
How The Great "FAT-FREE" Lie of The 90s Hooked a Generation - The SnackWell's Effect
Remember the 90s? When we thought we could eat an entire box of "fat-free" SnackWell's cookies and it was healthy? What if that wasn't an accident? What if it was one of the most brilliant and damaging feats of consumer psychology ever pull…
The Emperor's New Clothes: The Hoax That EXPOSED Modern Academia.
Ever read something so academic and complicated you felt your brain tie itself in a knot, and you secretly wondered... "Am I dumb, or is this complete gibberish?" You're not alone. And one physicist decided to put that feeling to the ultima…
The Man Who Owns the MOON: Genius or Scammer of the Century?
Ever dreamed of telling your friends you own a beachfront property on the Sea of Tranquility? For less than $30, one man says he can make that happen. Meet Dennis Hope, the cosmic landlord who looked at the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, found a …
The Ship That NEVER Sank: Unraveling the TITANIC-Olympic Mystery
What if the ship at the bottom of the Atlantic isn't the RMS Titanic? For decades, a tantalizing conspiracy theory has whispered that the world's most famous shipwreck was actually the greatest insurance scam in history—a deliberate plot to…
The ROSWELL Weather Balloon That Launched a Thousand CONSPIRACIES
Forget everything you think you know about the Roswell Incident. The alien bodies, the crashed flying saucer, the vast government cover-up… what if the truth is even more fascinating? We’re pulling back the curtain on the most famous UFO st…
The Man Who Sold a CANCER CURE Made of... Ketchup?
What if the secret to curing all your ailments wasn't in a pharmacy, but in that bottle of ketchup in your fridge? Before you laugh, you should know that for a brief, wild moment in history, doctors and con men agreed.This is the unbelievab…
Narcissism, LIES, and The New York Times.
What if the front-page story that moved you was a lie? What if the dateline was faked, the quotes were fabricated, and the reporter never even left his apartment? This isn't a hypothetical; it's the story of Jayson Blair, the man who orches…
The 300-Year-Old Scam That Still FOOLS MILLIONS Today
You've laughed at the email from the "Nigerian Prince," right? The terrible grammar, the absurd story... you probably think only a fool would fall for it. But what if the joke is actually on us? And what if those typos are a brilliant, cyni…
The Most Successful LIE in Hollywood History
Remember that grainy footage? The close-up of a crying face? For one terrifying moment in 1999, the entire world asked the same question: Is this real? The answer changed movies forever.This is the story of The Blair Witch Project, the low-…
The Infamous WAR OF THE WORLDS Sequel No One Talks About
Did you know Ice Cube starred in a War of the Worlds sequel that has a near-zero score on Rotten Tomatoes? No? There's a very good reason for that. And we're about to dig up the body.Welcome to the autopsy of a cinematic car crash. In this …
The Man Who INVENTED the Water Car (And Was MURDERED for It)
What if you could run your car on simple tap water, ending our reliance on oil forever? One man, Stanley Meyer, claimed he did just that... and then he was allegedly poisoned in the middle of a restaurant.This is the story of the Holy Grail…
The GHOST on the Observation Deck: Unmasking the 9/11 Tourist Guy
You've seen the photo. The tourist smiling on top of the World Trade Center, a plane closing in. It was the defining ghost story of 9/11. But the real story behind that image is even more shocking than the hoax itself.This is the story of t…
GASLIGHTING: The Hoax of Your Own Mind
Ever felt like you're losing your mind in a conversation, only to be told "you're being too sensitive" or "that never happened"? You're not crazy. You might be the victim of a hoax being played inside your own mind.Welcome to the chilling w…
Before Fake News, There Was The HITLER DIARIES Hoax.
How do you fool the world's smartest historians, journalists, and experts? You don't sell them a lie. You sell them a story they desperately want to be true.In this episode, we're dissecting the greatest journalistic scam of the 20th centur…
The Surgeon Who Performed Operations with His BARE Hands (The PSYCHIC Surgery of Tony Agpaoa)
Imagine a surgeon who could reach inside your body with his bare hands, pull out a diseased tumor, and leave no scar. No knife. No anesthesia. Just a miracle. For thousands of desperate patients, this wasn't a dream—it was a trip to the Phi…