A new hoax making the rounds on Facebook claims that users must like, comment, and share in order to fund surgery for a little girl born with mermaid syndrome. Although this one is different from many we’ve seen recently because it alleges a partnership between Facebook and CNN, it’s the exact same in the only way that matters – it’s totally fake.
The hoax claims that Facebook and CNN have teamed up to pay for half of the medical expenses for the child’s surgery, and it’s all dependent on how many likes, comments, and share the image receives. It claims that for every like, $20 will be put toward the cause. For every comment, it’s $50, and for every share, $100.
Here’s what the hoax post looks like:
(image)
The image is actually of Milagros Cerron, a little girl in Peru that’s known as the “mermaid baby” as a result of sirenomelia, or “mermaid syndrome.” She’s had surgeries to separate her legs, and the medical procedures are still ongoing. Although Milagros is now 9 years old, the photo used above to exploit Facebook likes was taken nearly 8 years ago.
This latest hoax is simply another version of the “Facebook will donate X for each like” hoax that we’ve seen increase in frequency over the past few years. Whether it’s saving starving children in Africa with a like, or making sure kids shot by their father get adequate medical attention, it’s all BS.
Facebook has not, and will never donate money to causes based on how many likes or shares a post gets. That means that every single one of these types of posts you see is a hoax. Don’t feed the like-whores, please.
