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PODCAST

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

true crime

All Episodes

24:56

The Boy in the BUBBLE: A Story of LIES, Anger, and SCID

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/31

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 Vetter, the boy who lived his entire life inside a sterile plastic bubble due to Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). While the world saw a happy child, we uncover the heartbreaking reality of his isolation, his hidden anger, and the profound emotional turmoil his

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41:03

The World's Most MYSTERIOUS Book: A Code, a Hoax, or...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/30

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, filled with bizarre plants that don't exist, strange astrological charts, and hundreds of pages written in a language no one on Earth can read: Voynichese.Join us as we enter the high-stakes world of cryptography and linguistic analysis, where experts are locked in a

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25:42

The Zodiac Cipher Hoax: Why the Killer's Last Code is...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/29

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 just looking at the crimes—we're decoding the mind behind them. We dive deep into the twisted world of the Zodiac ciphers, the taunting puzzles that have haunted investigators and amateur sleuths for over 50 years. You'll learn the stunning story of the Z340

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30:06

Wash Wash: Inside the BLACK MONEY SCAM That Fools...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/28

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 shadowy world of the "black money scam," the shockingly successful confidence trick known globally as "wash-wash" or the infamous "419 scam." We take you deep inside the modus operandi of this advance-fee fraud, where victims are convinced that real currency has been

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30:06

Was ATLANTIS Real? The FINAL Verdict

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/27

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 cataclysm, or just the world's most successful piece of philosophical "fake news"?This podcast dives headfirst into one of history's greatest ancient mysteries. We trace the legend back to its source: the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. You'll

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22:00

The WHITE Woman Who FAKED Being BLACK for a Decade...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/26

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 national firestorm and became a lightning rod for one of the most explosive conversations of our time. But this is a deep dive that goes far beyond the shocking headlines. We're not just asking what she did; we're asking why. We explore the viral psychology of

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19:29

What Happened to HITLER'S Body?: The Skull, The...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/25

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 forensic evidence blows the lid off one of history's greatest myths and serves as the gateway to a much deeper investigation. We'll take you from the secret archives in Moscow back to the final, chaotic days in the Führerbunker. While conspiracy theories have run

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29:13

The 'GHOST in the Machine': The Man Who Claimed a...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/24

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 ignited a firestorm online. But this is just the entry point to a much deeper, stranger rabbit hole.This is the ultimate investigation into the "Ghost in the Machine." We'll journey from chilling paranormal cases like the Dodleston Messages—where a family claimed to

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28:55

Viral Nightmare: Was Tara the Android a Real AI or a...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/23

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… and was shut down?This is the rabbit hole we're diving into. For years, the "I Feel Fantastic" video has fueled wild speculation, from being a bizarre art piece to evidence of a twisted serial killer. This viral video plunged millions into the uncanny valley,

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25:20

America's First VAMPIRES Weren't Monsters, They Were...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/22

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 one of America's darkest and most bizarre chapters: the New England Vampire Panic. In the 18th and 19th centuries, a mysterious plague called "consumption" (tuberculosis) swept through rural towns, wiping out entire families. Lacking any knowledge of germ theory,

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27:41

Unicorns & Winged HUMANOIDS: The Newspaper That...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/21

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 original viral story. In this episode, we travel back to 1835 to uncover the unbelievable tale of the Great Moon Hoax. We'll dive into the six sensational articles published by the New York Sun that set the world on fire. Attributed to the famous astronomer Sir John

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30:04

Sane in an INSANE Place: The Lie That Changed...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/20

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 purpose.Welcome to the story of the Rosenhan Experiment, the legendary and terrifying study that blew the doors off modern psychiatry. We'll take you inside the asylum with David Rosenhan's "pseudo-patients"—sane individuals who faked a single symptom to get committed,

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28:41

The Man Who NEVER Jumped: The D.B. Cooper Inside Job

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/19

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 jumped at all?This is the D.B. Cooper case like you've never heard it before. We are reopening the FBI's most legendary cold case, going beyond the folklore to investigate the explosive D.B. Cooper theories the mainstream has ignored. We’ll dive deep into the raging

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28:35

The Phantom TikTok Rizz Party Hoax That Caused Chaos...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/18

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 viral videos. Now, get the full story behind the Kai Cenat Union Square Riot. We’re taking you to the epicenter of the chaos, unpacking how the king of Gen Z internet culture and his promise of a giveaway ignited a mob of thousands in NYC. We'll detail the arrests,

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32:32

The Day a Phantom Anesthetist Gassed an Entire Town...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/17

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 Gasser of Mattoon, the phantom anesthetist who haunted a small Illinois town in 1944. But this isn't just another unsolved mystery. This is a deep dive into one of the most powerful and invisible forces on earth: Mass Hysteria. We’ll unpack the psychology behind how a

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25:59

The Salem Witches Weren't BURNED at the Stake (And...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/15

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 is far more brutal.Welcome to "Hoax Hunters," the podcast that explores the shocking fallibility of the human mind. In this episode, we're using the Salem Witch Trials as a chilling case study for the Mandela Effect. This isn't just a history lesson; it's a deep

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28:35

The Oak Island MONEY Pit: Buried TREASURE or a...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/14

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 "Hoax Hunters," the podcast that digs deeper than any drill hole. In this episode, we're navigating the legendary Oak Island Money Pit. This isn't just another recap of the TV show; we're providing the intellectual treasure map, pitting cold, hard science against

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34:33

The Zodiac Killer's Ciphers: Genius Code or Elaborate...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/13

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?Welcome to "Hoax Hunters," the podcast that cracks open the world's most chilling codes. In this episode, we're dissecting the infamous Zodiac Killer ciphers. We'll walk you through the stunning amateur codebreaking that solved the Z408 and the 51-year-long battle

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20:23

The $400,000 LIE: Unpacking the Johnny Bobbitt...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/12

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 kindness?This is the unbelievable true story of the Johnny Bobbitt Jr. case—the infamous GoFundMe scam that started with a heartwarming "Good Samaritan" tale and ended in federal prison. A couple and a homeless man fooled the world, raising over $400,000 by hijacking our

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31:55

Earth's MISSED Call: The Unexplained WOW! Signal

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/11

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, part of the SETI project, picked up a powerful, narrowband radio signal from deep space. It was so perfect, so shockingly artificial, that astronomer Jerry Ehman scrawled one word on the data printout: "Wow!" For a fleeting moment, it seemed like we had made

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73 results

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