The 15 craziest fake pics that went viral in 2024
Fake images are everywhere on the internet, from photos to videos and even GIFs designed to trick you. It’s tough to keep up with all of them! Here are some viral images from this year that serve as a friendly reminder: don’t always trust what you see with your own eyes.
### Be Careful with What You See
Have you ever come across a photo of a dog trying to mate with a robot dog? Yeah, that’s not real. It’s based on an original pic from the New York Fire Department, showing off their robotic unit for search and rescue. Chief of Operations John Esposito even praised it as a safety breakthrough for their firefighters.
### Don’t Believe Everything You Read
Remember those photos of signs in San Francisco claiming that all theft under $950 is legal now? Total nonsense. While the signs were real, they had subtle hints that they were fake. The San Francisco Department of Public Works confirmed that the city didn’t authorize or place those signs.
### Maps Can Be Deceiving
Maps aren’t always as accurate as you might think, with fake lines added to spice things up. This can lead to a lot of confusion, so stay cautious when interpreting map data.
If you saw any images claiming that the Pacific Ocean and the North Sea meet, don’t fall for it! Those videos are misleading, especially when they suggest there’s a dividing line between different bodies of water. Trust oceanographers when they say that oceans mix – there’s no magical line separating them.
And hey, remember that video of Mike Lindell cruising along without a care in the world? That one’s a hoax too. It’s a manipulated video that got millions of views in X. Just take a closer look at the details, like the reflection in the driver’s door, to see that it’s all smoke and mirrors.
### Fake Images of Land Before Time
Did you see that photo of a croissant shaped like a dinosaur? Well, turns out it’s totally fake! It went viral a while ago, but it was all just a hoax. The restaurant it supposedly came from, Ethos Café in Austin, Texas, doesn’t even exist. And get this, all the staff at the restaurant are AI-generated, with one even having six fingers on their hand! Gizmodo tried to reach out to the café, but got no response. So, as cute as the croissant dino is, it’s all just a clever fake.
### Haters’ Hoaxes
There was a fake tweet making the rounds supposedly from Candace Owens poking fun at Ben Shapiro, but it was all a hoax. Images of Shapiro have also been circulating, stirring up controversy, but it seems like it’s just a case of fake news. And remember that tweet about former President Jimmy Carter’s death that spread like wildfire? Totally fake too.
### The AI Tom Cruise
Have you heard about the fake documentary narrated by Tom Cruise called “Olympics has fallen”? It’s not real! Cruise’s voice in the documentary was created using artificial intelligence, and the whole thing is actually a disinformation campaign linked to the Russian government. Even though the narration sounds realistic, there are subtle signs that give it away as fake. So, don’t believe everything you see or hear online!
### Hollywood Mountain Hoax
So, there’s this viral pic of Hollywood Mountain in California with all this lush greenery, right? Well, hate to break it to you, but it’s totally fake. Hollywood Mountain isn’t even a real place, folks. Some sneaky person on Facebook posted it along with a bunch of other AI-generated images. If you’re from Southern California, you’d know it’s a phony pic, but if you’ve never been to the US, you might fall for it. Remember those Chinese tourists who thought Paris would be all romantic movie scenes but ended up with dog poo, cigarette butts, and grumpy people? Yeah, like that. Generative AI can really make a fantasy look like reality with just some pics and a few words.
### MyPillow Zombie
Okay, so there were some fake pics floating around in 2024 of MyPillow guy looking like a tired zombie with a fixed stare. But guess what? Not real. The account that posted it is known for sharing altered images that look scarily real. This particular tweet got over 6 million views and spread like wildfire on social media. What makes it really weird is that there’s a freakin’ bear in the background that wasn’t even there in the original pic. Creepy stuff, man.
### Luigi’s Fake Watch
Did you come across a video with a countdown clock supposedly linked to Luigi, who’s accused of offing the UnitedHealthcase CEO in New York? Yeah, it’s all a big fat lie. Mangione, the supposed culprit, got busted at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, but then this video pops up from a YouTube account claiming to spill “The Truth.” Spoiler alert: total fake news. YouTube even confirmed it’s a bunch of baloney and shut down the channel for breaking their rules. Stay woke, peeps.
