The daily check-in

Trending, checked.

Twice a day we pull the posts going viral on TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook and run them through the record. Each entry is a published verdict — what we found, why, and the sources behind it.

31 checks

Was there an ASOS push notification about a hack on October 6, 2026?

X · Primary 101 likes (syndication, 2026-10-06); story picked up by Guardian, FT, Forbes, STV, LBC, LADbible, Tyla, PinkNews on 2026-10-06; reports say ASOS shares fell ~11-12% after the alert; ASOS says it is investigating

Can't Verify

The push-notification image is authentic: many ASOS app users received a push on 6 October 2026 reading 'ASOS HACKED' and linking to a Telegram channel. The message's claim that ASOS's Snowflake instance was 'fully compromised' is an attacker assertion and has not been independently confirmed; ASOS says it is investigating.

TechnologyConsumerView details→

Did Dr. Oz claim a stick of butter costs about a dollar?

X · 5,367 likes / 513 replies on X within ~3h; Mediaite and Raw Story pickup

Misleading

This is an authentic Fox News clip (Oct 5, 2026) showing Dr. Mehmet Oz saying a stick of butter costs about $1; the clip accurately records his statement, but the price claim is inconsistent with typical retail prices (Mediaite cites the product at Trader Joe's for $4.99), so the statement is false or misleading when taken as a factual price claim.

EconomyConsumerView details→

Did Anderson Cooper open a free hospital for the homeless?

X · AI-generated content circulated on X with fabricated images

False

The post is false. There is no evidence that Anderson Cooper opened a 250‑bed, free hospital for the homeless; fact-checkers report no credible coverage and attribute a denial from a CNN spokesperson. The image appears to be a synthetic or edited composite used to illustrate a fabricated event.

ConsumerTechnologyView details→

Did scammers create deepfake ads with Martin Lewis's wife?

X · £20M+ lost to these scams; Ads appear across Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, MSN News; widespread scam network

True

Martin Lewis's post accurately reports that scammers circulated AI‑generated (deepfake) adverts including a fake video purporting to show his wife Lara Lewington being assaulted to promote a 'Quantum AI' investment scam; multiple reputable outlets and AI incident monitors corroborate his statement and say the videos were fake and his wife was unharmed.

TechnologyConsumerView details→

Was there a zombie sighting at an Atlanta nightclub?

TikTok · Viral on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram in July 2026; continued circulation through September; multiple variations; created with OpenAI Sora text-to-video tool

False

The TikTok post claims a 'zombie sighting at an Atlanta nightclub', but independent fact-checking and reporting show the short viral clip is AI-generated and not evidence of a real attack; the central claim is false.

TechnologyConsumerView details→

Will AI have access to all chats on WhatsApp starting Saturday?

Facebook · Viral video and copy-paste Facebook posts urge users to enable 'Advanced Chat Privacy' to stop Meta AI reading chats; Fact Crescendo rated it misleading/false on 30 Sep, citing WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption. · resurfaced

False

False — the circulating Facebook text that says “Starting Saturday, AI will be available in WhatsApp and will have access to all chats” is misleading and incorrect. WhatsApp/Meta have been rolling out AI features, but the company says AI interactions are user-invoked and protected by privacy measures; multiple fact-checkers conclude the viral message is false.

TechnologyConsumerView details→

Is Crown Royal facing an import ban in the U.S.?

Threads · Threads post: 'Crown Royal is facing a future import ban in the United States starting September 29, 2026'. The ban took effect 9/29; Sunday Guardian and Hindustan Times ran 'Did Trump ban Crown Royal?' fact-checks citing viral TikTok/X posts.

True But

There is an official U.S. import prohibition on specified Canadian alcoholic beverages that took effect on September 29, 2026. However, the post's implication that Crown Royal itself is definitively 'facing' a ban is incomplete: implementation details and permitted workarounds (e.g., bulk shipments and U.S. processing) mean Crown Royal may not be wholly barred in practice.

EconomyConsumerView details→