Weekly Hoax Post: Sick Child Images

This image has been blurred for obvious reasons.

By Christina Yeager

Every week there’s another hoax post that fuels outrage on the Web. We’re going to share them with you along with some lessons learned. It’s YOUR duty to spread the word, so that outraged folks can focus on the truly outrageous, like Madonna’s armpit hair. 

This week, we’re focusing on those horrible sick child images that are everywhere online asking for prayers by way of likes and shares - and how you’re feeding a horrifying scam machine.

Imagine for a second, if you will, that your son or daughter is having their teeth capped. Now, this little procedure calls for having your child put under for a bit. You decide to snap a photo of your “mini-me” and post it to your status.

Three weeks later you are scrolling down your wall on Facebook when you come across your precious baby in that same exact image. But wait, it’s paired with the words “This child has cancer. Please like and share for prayers."

Yes. That’s right. Your child’s picture has been lifted then recycled into the Social Media Hoax Circus.

Stop sharing and liking images of sick children!

Yes. Those babies might be sick, or were. And yes, it’s tragic and unimaginable. But chances are the child your sharing a photo of has already passed.

You are not helping to get this child treatment or a heart transplant and no one (even Facebook) is going to donate a dollar for every like and share.

Come on people! Wake up! These images were most likely stolen from a family album of a sick child weeks, months or even years ago. They’ve been thrown onto social media and laced with untrue words of illness and grief. And then…they invite you to share that! Why? No family member of an ailing child would ever ask you to do that.

Okay then. See the point? Families around the world have experienced this kind of horrid exploitation of their child. For those whose children have died due to the illness, it is torture in so many ways. They must go through a process to have their child’s image removed. No one should ever have to go through that. For those that have children still struggling, it is no less painful to witness.

In recent news, a slew of celebrities including Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley were pulled into an elaborate hoax by a woman claiming that her daughter was dying of cancer. Natalie Grant was hit with a similar scam. The lying women corresponded with the celebrities via email with their woeful stories. In both cases, songs were performed by the artists via phone.

For your own sake and the sake of your children…don’t share that image begging to be liked. Someone somewhere will use a funding website and that same image to ask hundreds even thousands of people for money and most likely get it. 

Be sure to subscribe to our Ghost Tips so you don’t miss future Hoax Posts! There are MANY more to share.