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're dissecting the Momo Challenge, the global viral hoax that snowballed into a full-blown moral panic. We investigate how a piece of Japanese art was hijacked to create a phantom menace, and how the panicked warnings from media, schools, and even police actually fanned the flames, doing the hoaxer's job for them. This is a masterclass in the Social Amplification of Risk—how a small, baseless fear can be magnified into a worldwide frenzy in the digital age.

We'll explore the chilling psychology behind misinformation, comparing the Momo Challenge to its predecessor, the Blue Whale Challenge, to understand why we are so quick to believe in dangers lurking online. We’ll break down how our perception of risk gets warped and discuss the crucial role of parental guidance and digital literacy in navigating these new, murky waters.

This isn't just the story of a scary meme; it's a critical look at how fear spreads in the 21st century and how we can learn to spot the next big lie.

If you want to understand the mechanics of a modern witch hunt, hit that follow button. Share this with a parent who needs to hear the real story. Give us a 5-star review if we calmed your nerves, and tell us in the comments: What's the wildest internet rumor you remember believing?


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 this episode, we dissect the mother of all corporate scandals, pulling back the iconic black turtleneck to reveal the shocking truth behind Elizabeth Holmes and her billion-dollar blood test that was pure fiction. We'll explore the seductive psychology of the charismatic leader and how a crippling case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in Venture Capital allowed this massive corporate fraud to flourish.

But Theranos isn't a one-off. We connect the dots to another epic collapse—the Enron Scandal—and break down the "organizational fraud triangle" that icons like Jeffrey Skilling and Elizabeth Holmes masterfully exploited. From the overhyped valuations of WeWork to the cultural issues at Uber, we analyze the toxic pattern of "fake it 'til you make it" in today's unicorn companies.

Amidst the deception, we find heroes: the brave whistleblowers inside Theranos who risked everything to expose the truth. This is a story of lies, manipulation, and the catastrophic consequences of unchecked ambition.

If you love true crime mixed with high-stakes boardroom drama, you've found your next obsession. Hit that follow button, and share this with anyone fascinated by the line between genius and fraud. Drop us a 5-star review if we blew your mind, and answer this in the comments: What's the biggest red flag you've ever ignored?


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 this a scientific blockbuster or the most embarrassing flop in modern history?

This is the definitive story of the Fleischmann-Pons cold fusion controversy, a media firestorm that promised a revolution but delivered a lesson in bad science. But this isn't just about a failed experiment. It's a deep dive into the dangerous psychology that fueled the frenzy.

We expose the hidden forces that can corrupt even the most brilliant minds:


The Psychology of Hope: We explore how our desperate desire for a miracle can blind us to the facts, and how "Hope Theory" explains our need to believe in a pathway to our goals, even when there isn't one.


The "Publish or Perish" Disease: We reveal how the immense pressure on academics to publish groundbreaking work can lead to rushed announcements, compromised research, and a complete breakdown of academic integrity.


Cognitive Biases: We'll show you how confirmation bias and other mental shortcuts led scientists and journalists alike to see what they wanted to see in the data.

This is a cautionary tale about how hope, ambition, and media hype can create a perfect storm of scientific delusion.
Ready to separate the hope from the hype? Hit play, subscribe, and share this with anyone who loves a good story about how science can go spectacularly wrong.


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 pulled off by the ultra-processed food industry?

This is the deep dive into the "SnackWell's Effect," a phenomenon that hooked a generation. We expose the dangerous psychological glitches that food marketers exploit to this day, including:

The Health Halo Effect: The cognitive trap that makes you believe a "low-fat" label on a box of sugar makes the entire product healthy.
The Self-Licensing Effect: The sneaky voice in your head that says, "I had a salad for lunch, so I deserve this entire pint of ice cream." We'll show you how this mental loophole is systematically weaponized against you.

But it gets deeper. We'll reveal the playbook of modern food advertising and how it manipulates your deepest emotions—linking processed foods to happiness, love, and comfort—to foster food addiction behaviors. This isn't just about the past; it's about the "guilt-free" lies still filling your grocery cart today.

This isn't a lecture on dieting. This is a guide to reclaiming your brain from the marketing machine.

Ready to see behind the curtain of the grocery aisle? Hit play, subscribe, and share this with anyone who's ever felt guilty after eating a "guilt-free" snack.


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 ultimate test.

This is the incredible story of the Sokal Affair, one of the most brilliant and audacious hoaxes in modern history. We reveal how physicist Alan Sokal, fed up with academic obscurantism, wrote a completely nonsensical paper filled with jargon and fake science... and got it published in a prestigious journal. It was an intellectual sting operation that exposed a massive vulnerability in our expert class.

We dive deep into the psychology of why it worked, exploring the "Emperor's New Clothes Effect"—the terrifying social dynamic where smart people pretend to understand nonsense because they're afraid of looking incompetent. We'll show you the specific tricks and tactics obscurantists use to shield their weak ideas from criticism.

This isn't just a funny story about academic fraud. This is a masterclass in critical thinking. After this, you'll be able to spot the "Sokal effect" everywhere—from politics to marketing to your own social circles. We're giving you a finely-tuned BS detector.

Ready to calibrate yours? Hit play, subscribe, and share this with anyone who's tired of the jargon. Let's start demanding clarity, together.


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 galaxy-sized legal loophole, and declared himself the owner of the Moon. And Mars. And Venus. And he's been selling it piece by piece for forty years.

This is the unbelievable true story of the Lunar Embassy, the company that has sold Moon real estate to over 6 million people, including celebrities and two former US Presidents. But is your lunar property deed a brilliant investment or just the most expensive piece of paper you'll ever own? We're diving headfirst into the murky world of space law to find out.

Join us as we unravel how this audacious claim to extraterrestrial real estate has survived for decades, despite legal experts calling it a worthless novelty gift. Is Dennis Hope a visionary entrepreneur who outsmarted the United Nations, or is this the most brilliant, long-running scam in modern history? We'll explore the psychology, the legality, and the sheer audacity of the man who sells hope for a living. The answer will change the way you look at the night sky.

Ready to find out if your acre on the Moon is legit? Hit play, and if this story makes you question everything, share it with your most ambitious friend. Don't forget to follow and leave a 5-star review to help us claim our corner of the podcast universe!


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 switch the brand-new Titanic with her older, damaged sister ship, the Olympic, and sink it for a massive payout. It's an audacious story of greed and deception... but is any of it true?

Buckle up, because we're diving deeper than any submarine. This isn't just another retelling of the Titanic sinking; this is a full-blown forensic investigation. We're pulling out the receipts, the blueprints, and the expert testimony from top maritime historians like Mark Chirnside to systematically dismantle the infamous Titanic-Olympic switch theory. We'll expose the fatal flaws in the plan, from the glaring physical differences between the ships that thousands of workers would have noticed, to one inconvenient, myth-shattering fact: the RMS Titanic was drastically underinsured.

Join us as we explore the hard evidence, crunch the numbers, and reveal why this elaborate White Star Line conspiracy would have been a financial and logistical nightmare. This episode is for every history buff, every skeptic, and anyone who loves to see a popular historical myth get thoroughly and satisfyingly debunked. The truth isn't just stranger than fiction—it's far more logical.

Ready to uncover the truth behind the lie? Hit play, and if this episode changes how you see history, share it with a friend who loves a good conspiracy. Don't forget to follow and leave us a 5-star review—it helps us sink more myths!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 story of all time, and what we’ve found inside declassified files isn't what you expect.

This isn't just another conspiracy theory podcast. This is the definitive deep-dive into the official US Air Force Roswell Report. We'll walk you through the complex, once-secret documentation and listen to the actual words of the men who were there, like Lt. Col. Sheridan Cavitt. Hear newly unearthed details from Project MOGUL engineer Charles B. Moore, who describes the top-secret, high-altitude weather balloon train designed to spy on the Soviets—and how its bizarre, foil-and-stick wreckage perfectly matches the "alien" debris found in that New Mexico field in 1947.

So, where did the stories of extraterrestrial bodies come from? We'll dissect a real Freedom of Information Act request and explore the powerful psychology of conspiracy theories. Why are we so drawn to the appeal of secret knowledge, and how did deep-seated government distrust launch a modern myth?

If you’ve ever wondered what really happened at Roswell, this is the episode that lays out the evidence, separates fact from fiction, and challenges you to question everything. The answer was never "out there"—it was here on Earth all along.

Ready to have your reality shifted? Hit play, and if this episode blows your mind, share it with a friend who loves a good mystery. Don't forget to follow and leave a 5-star review to help us uncover more truths!


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 unbelievable but true story of the great tomato craze of the 1830s. We're diving deep into the bizarre chapter of medical history when the tomato—once feared in America as a poisonous plant—was rebranded as a miracle cure-all by a charismatic physician named Dr. John Cook Bennett. This wasn't just a niche belief; it was a full-blown mania of patent medicines, with tomato pills and even ketchup itself being sold to cure everything from indigestion to cancer.

We'll explore the wild world of quack medicine and how this food history spectacle paved the way for one of the world's most famous condiments, later perfected by Henry Heinz. This is more than a funny historical anecdote; it's a shocking look at how pseudoscience and clever marketing can turn public fear into a commercial frenzy—a tactic that's still being used today.

This story will change the way you look at a bottle of ketchup forever.

If you love a good "truth is stranger than fiction" story, subscribe and share this episode with a friend. Then, head to the comments and tell us: what's the wildest "miracle cure" you've ever heard of?


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them. 

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 orchestrated the most devastating case of journalistic fraud in the history of The New York Times.

But this isn't just a retelling of a famous media scandal. We're putting Blair's mind—and his words—under a scientific microscope. First, we explore the chilling psychology of white-collar crime, unpacking the roles of narcissism, hedonism, and the crushing pressure to perform that create the perfect storm for deception.

Then, we dive into the fascinating world of forensic linguistics to reveal how the very language of fake news differs from real reporting. Can you spot a lie just by the words a person chooses? The analysis of Blair's articles reveals shocking "tells" that were hiding in plain sight. This is more than a story about one disgraced reporter; it's a gripping case study in the failure of oversight, the psychology of lying, and how easily our trust in institutions can be shattered.

If you are fascinated by the nature of truth and deception, you need to hear this.
Did this episode make you question everything? Subscribe and share it with someone who loves a good psychological deep dive. Then, head to the comments and tell us: Do you think you could spot a fake article before it was too late?


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hoax-hunters--6723538/support.

You May also Like:

🤖Nudgrr.com (🗣'nudger") - Your AI Sidekick for Getting Sh*t Done
Nudgrr breaks down your biggest goals into tiny, doable steps — then nudges you to actually do them.