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30 Fake Viral Photos People Believed Were Real
CuriositiesFEB 26, 2019

30 Fake Viral Photos People Believed Were Real

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Recently, the term 'Fake news' has become really popular, but with today's photo editing tools, even those of us with the most observant eyes may easily be fooled. From the viral rice wave to the famous photo of the first dab in history, how many of these photos do you believed to be 100% real? This list compiled by Bored Panda will show you the reality and sometimes the ugly truth behind Internet-famous photos so prepare yourself for some eye-opening shots that will prove once again - you can't trust everything you see online.

#1 Behind The Scenes Photo Of MGM Intro

Lion in MRI scanner, mistaken for MGM logo recording, highlighting fake viral photos believed real.
A photo of a lion strapped onto a machine in order to make the iconic MGM intro of a lion roaring is actually a photo of a lion being diagnosed at the vet's office. Luckily, the lion made a wonderful recovery and is now completely healthy. Also, an interesting fact is that there have been 7 lions that were used to create the MGM intro, the current one, who's name is Leo, has appeared in most of the movies since 1957.
232points

#2 The Mustache Wasn't Enough, They Had To Add Those Angry Eyebrows

Cat with unique fur pattern resembling a mustache and eyebrows, a fake viral photo believed to be real.
The internet just loves animals, especially if they look weird or cute, or both at the same time. So there is no surprise that a photo of a cat with adorable mustache and eyebrows would go viral. Well, there is a silver lining to this story, the cat does in fact have that incredible mustache, but the eyebrows are a result of clever photo manipulation.
193points

#3 A Guy Creating An Amazing Fried Rice Wave

Man posing with a large fake wave made of rice in a wok; a viral photo people believed was real.
One of the recent viral sensations was the 'fried rice meme' that showed a man making an incredible rice wave in his pan. This interesting photo quickly received a lot of attention online and people from all around the world started to send in their own photoshopped images of the rice wave. Unfortunately, the original itself is already a fake photo since the rice wave is a sculpture that is sold in a fake food shop in Tokyo.
179points

#4 Astronaut Smoking Marijuana In Space

Astronaut humorously holds a bag of floating objects, illustrating a fake viral photo in zero gravity.
It's safe to say that Chris Hadfield is one of the most beloved Astronauts there is. His incredible vlogs from space answered so many questions about life in zero gravity, from cleaning your teeth to sleeping, everything is different in space. Although this form of vlogging is very one-of-a-kind, you shouldn't think that this incredible guy would use any type of drugs while literally flying in space. In the real photo, Chris was actually just trying to surprise his co-workers with some Easter eggs!
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174points

#5 Magical Castle

Castle on a rock formation with a canoe nearby, part of viral photos believed real.
This magical castle that probably most of us would love to visit or even stay in is unfortunately a combination of a photo of a rock in Thailand and a castle in Germany.
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167points

#6 Not-So-Planned College Name Sign

"College of Architecture and Planning sign with humorous spacing error, a popular fake viral photo."
Some time ago this famous image was an absolute representation of internet humor, the ironic mistake was something that people constantly shared online. Unfortunately, the photo was photoshopped so well, it wasn't so easy to understand it was actually fake.
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161points

#7 Dangerous Pilot Selfie

Pilot taking a fake selfie from airplane cockpit, mid-flight and on runway, illustrating viral photo misconceptions.
This iconic selfie of a pilot photographing himself in the air was actually a photo of him when he was safely landed, but it's important to mention, that even on the land, it's a pretty cool selfie!
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155points

#8 A Kid Sleeping Near His Deceased Parents' Graves In Syria

Child lying and sitting on fake graves, illustrating a viral photo believed real.
A photo of a kid sleeping near his deceased parents' grave in Syria turned out to a piece of staged photography since the kid knew the photographer and the graves did not belong to his parents. Although this type of photojournalism is still completely heartbreaking it proves once again you can't trust everything you see online.
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141points

#9 Frozen Venice

Fake viral photos showing a frozen Venice canal, a gondola on water, and an icy landscape.
Venice is definitely one of the most beautiful places to visit around the world so there is no need to photoshop a photo of frozen Lake Baikal in Russia to make the place look even more stunning.
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137points

#10 Perfect Lenticular Clouds

Lenticular clouds over a mountain, resembling layered UFOs; an example of fake viral photos believed to be real.
Lenticular clouds are already pretty cool as they are, and there is no need for excessive photoshop to make them look better. Unfortunately, the author of the photoshopped version didn't really think that way. Well, we guess the whole internet didn't think that way, since the fake photo became a desktop of choice for many people.
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129points

#11 Woman Squatting Like A Frog

Woman in a bank, humorously posed climbing the counter, illustrating a fake viral photo people believed was real.
One of the most recent viral sensations was a woman weirdly squatting on a tiny shelf. Turns out she only lifted one leg, which, to be honest, is still kinda weird.
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127points

#12 Unique Black Lion

Black and white lions lying side by side on grass, showcasing fake viral photos.
If we could make a list of the internet's most beloved topics, weird animals would definitely have their place in the top 10. It seems that finding weird and unique species is something everyone thrives in, and although it is a cool thing to come across a unique animal, there is no need to create one with photoshop, or if you're doing so, please do not try to trick people into thinking it actually exists.
123points

#13 Moon Perfectly Fitting On A Skyscraper

Fake viral photo of Burj Al Arab with moon alignment; real scene on the right showing moon separate from building.
There's is a weird obsession with moons in viral photos, it seems that if you really want to have a popular photo, just add a moon in the most unrealistic place and there you have it. That's exactly what happened with this photo taken by Mo Aoun.
118points

#14 #10yearschallenge Against Deforestation

Comparison of forest density from 2009 to 2019, highlighting deforestation concerns with viral fake photo context.
Recently the hashtag #10yearchallenge went viral with people from all around the world sharing their changes throughout the years. Some people decided to use the hashtag to warn people about the terrible impact we are having on this earth. One of the biggest environmental problems in 21st century is deforestation, and that's exactly what people tried to warn us about. Unfortunately, the image that was used to spread the message was fake - the before and after photos of a rainforest cut down completely was actually the same photo.
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117points

#15 Bear Chasing A Cycler

Cyclist being chased by a bear on a snowy road in one image and the bear alone in another; example of fake viral photos.
Even though a photo of a bear chasing a cyclist will have a far bigger effect on you than a photo of a bear running through an empty street, luckily, nobody was harmed in the making of this photo. Although there's not much information about the original photo, it is believed the photo was taken Yellowstone National Park.
97points

#16 A Photo Of Marilyn Monroe And Elizabeth Taylor

Two vintage portraits featuring women posing by a tree, often mistaken for real, in black and white tones.
Oh how cool would it be to have two beauty icons chilling in one photo. Unfortunately, Elizabeth Taylor was photoshopped into a picture of Marilyn Monroe. In fact, this is not the first time Marilyn Monroe's photos were photoshopped to seem that she is spending time with iconic celebrities such as Elvis Presley, James Dean, and even John F. Kennedy.
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92points

#17 First Dab In The History

Soldiers posed on ship, top photo in black and white, bottom in color, showcasing fake viral photos believed real.
Although all of us would hope that the first dab was captured back in the 20th century, meaning this iconic movement will never age, unfortunately, this photo is actually a behind-the-scenes photo from the movie Dunkirk, shot in 2017.
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91points

#18 Photo Of The Space Shuttle

Rocket emerging through clouds, a fake viral photo believed real.
A magnificent photo of a space shuttle once again fooled many people and it quickly became a popular image to share online. What bothered many people is the need to even photoshop the image since the original one is already really cool as it is.
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87points

#19 Picture Of A Dwarf Giraffe

Giraffe with a short neck compared to a regular one, illustrating a fake viral photo.
A photo of a giraffe with dwarfism has been used online multiple times, although giraffes, like other animals, can have dwarfism, this photo is actually fake.
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86points

#20 Bear Chasing National Geographic Photographers

People running from a bear in a grassy field, highlighting fake viral photos believed to be real.
A photo showing a bear chasing a group of National Geographic photographers would send shivers down anyone's spine. Just imagining being in such a dangerous situation is terrifying. But since we have already proved there's no point in believing everything you see online, you can stop feeling bad about these photographer,s since the bear in the photo is actually captured in a stock photo that can be easily found online.
85points
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