x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

27:44

How the Media Created a MONSTER (The MOMO Challenge...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/10

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

en

31:38

The Billion-Dollar BLOOD Test That NEVER Existed

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/09

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

en

25:22

COLD FUSION: How Two Scientists & The Media Created a...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/08

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

en

22:12

How The Great "FAT-FREE" Lie of The 90s Hooked a...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/07

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

en

28:11

The Emperor's New Clothes: The Hoax That EXPOSED...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/06

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

en

34:04

The Man Who Owns the MOON: Genius or Scammer of the...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/05

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

en

31:20

The Ship That NEVER Sank: Unraveling the...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/04

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

en

26:07

The ROSWELL Weather Balloon That Launched a Thousand...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/03

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

en

25:14

The Man Who Sold a CANCER CURE Made of... Ketchup?

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/02

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

en

31:28

Narcissism, LIES, and The New York Times.

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/10/01

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

en

30:11

The 300-Year-Old Scam That Still FOOLS MILLIONS Today

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/30

You've laughed at the email from the "Nigerian Prince," right? The terrible grammar, the absurd story... you probably think only a fool would fall for it. But what if the joke is actually on us? And what if those typos are a brilliant, cynical filter designed to find the perfect victim?Welcome to the definitive deep dive into the Nigerian Prince scam, the oldest and most successful trick in the digital book. This isn't just a story about a funny email; it's a masterclass in the psychology of scams

en

23:00

The Most Successful LIE in Hollywood History

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/28

Remember that grainy footage? The close-up of a crying face? For one terrifying moment in 1999, the entire world asked the same question: Is this real? The answer changed movies forever.This is the story of The Blair Witch Project, the low-budget indie film that became a global phenomenon and birthed a new genre of fear. In this episode, we're conducting an autopsy on the found footage subgenre, from its most famous success to its most brutal, controversial ancestor. We'll uncover how a brilliant

en

22:36

The Infamous WAR OF THE WORLDS Sequel No One Talks About

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/27

Did you know Ice Cube starred in a War of the Worlds sequel that has a near-zero score on Rotten Tomatoes? No? There's a very good reason for that. And we're about to dig up the body.Welcome to the autopsy of a cinematic car crash. In this episode, we're exploring why H.G. Wells's masterpiece, The War of the Worlds, is a story that Hollywood just can't seem to get right. Our main exhibit: the universally panned 2025 "screenlife" adaptation starring Ice Cube, a film so bad it became an instant legend

en

29:41

The Man Who INVENTED the Water Car (And Was MURDERED...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/26

What if you could run your car on simple tap water, ending our reliance on oil forever? One man, Stanley Meyer, claimed he did just that... and then he was allegedly poisoned in the middle of a restaurant.This is the story of the Holy Grail of inventions: the water-powered car. In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most explosive conspiracy theories of our time. We'll follow the trail of Stanley Meyer and his revolutionary water fuel cell, an invention so powerful, his followers claim it got

en

23:27

The GHOST on the Observation Deck: Unmasking the 9/11...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/25

You've seen the photo. The tourist smiling on top of the World Trade Center, a plane closing in. It was the defining ghost story of 9/11. But the real story behind that image is even more shocking than the hoax itself.This is the story of the "Tourist Guy," the internet's first truly viral hoax and a masterclass in digital deception. We're going back to the chaotic days after 9/11 to uncover how a simple Photoshop joke by a Hungarian man named Péter Guzli became a global phenomenon, a cultural

en

26:53

GASLIGHTING: The Hoax of Your Own Mind

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/24

Ever felt like you're losing your mind in a conversation, only to be told "you're being too sensitive" or "that never happened"? You're not crazy. You might be the victim of a hoax being played inside your own mind.Welcome to the chilling world of Gaslighting, the sinister form of psychological abuse designed to make you question your own sanity. In this episode, we're not just defining a buzzword; we're dissecting a weapon. We expose the common manipulation tactics—from denial and trivializing to

en

20:35

Before Fake News, There Was The HITLER DIARIES Hoax.

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/23

How do you fool the world's smartest historians, journalists, and experts? You don't sell them a lie. You sell them a story they desperately want to be true.In this episode, we're dissecting the greatest journalistic scam of the 20th century: the infamous "Hitler Diaries" hoax. This isn't just a history lesson; it's a thrilling masterclass in the psychological weapon of confirmation bias. We'll show you how a perfect storm of greed, ambition, and the unshakable authority of the printed word led the

en

47:23

The Surgeon Who Performed Operations with His BARE...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/21

Imagine a surgeon who could reach inside your body with his bare hands, pull out a diseased tumor, and leave no scar. No knife. No anesthesia. Just a miracle. For thousands of desperate patients, this wasn't a dream—it was a trip to the Philippines to see a man named Tony Agpaoa.But what if the miracle was a lie?Welcome to the twisted world of Psychic Surgery, one of the most elaborate and cruel medical hoaxes in modern history. Was Tony Agpaoa a gifted faith healer, or a master of pseudoscience and

en

22:54

The "ALIEN Autopsy" Film That Fooled Millions (The...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/20

In 1995, the world saw what it had been waiting for since the Roswell Incident: grainy, black-and-white footage of a real Alien Autopsy. Millions were glued to their screens as the Fox network aired the special. The visual proof was undeniable... until it wasn't.This is the story of the Santilli Film, one of the greatest hoaxes of the 20th century. But this episode isn't just about a rubber dummy and a clever filmmaker. It's a deep dive into the psychology of belief and a chilling look at the power

en

30:01

The Amityville Horror: The "True Story" That Was a...

Hoax Hunters ·

2025/09/19

Bleeding walls. Swarms of flies in the dead of winter. A demonic voice screaming "Get out!" It was one of the most terrifying hauntings in American history. And it was all a lie.This isn't just another ghost story. This is a deep dive into the spooky, glitchy wiring of the human brain that made us believe it. In this episode, we're putting the Amityville Horror on the psychologist's couch. We'll explore how the most famous hoax in paranormal history became a "true story" by weaponizing our own minds

en

73 results

Similar Podcasts

Australian True Crime

Bravecasting

True Crime Podcast 2026 - Police Interrogations, 911 Calls and True Police Stories Podcast

True Crime Podcast 2025

Ontario Cold Cases - The Podcast

Jay Nicoll

The Conspiracy Files

Bloody FM

Crime at Bedtime

Jack Laurence