Hoax - Facebook Will Donate $1 Per Share For Baby With Cancer

Outline
Facebook message that includes a photograph of a baby with a distended stomach and a severe rash claims that the baby has cancer and that Facebook will donate $1 each time the photograph is shared.



Brief Analysis
The message is a vile hoax. Ian Gromowski, the baby in the photograph, died in 2007 due to a reaction to a Hepatitis B vaccination. Ian's photograph was stolen and reused in the hoax without the permission of his parents. Facebook will NOT donate money in exchange for sharing or liking a photograph. Sharing the message will help nobody. This is just one more in a long line of disgusting and immoral hoaxes that use stolen images of sick children. The people who create these hoaxes do so out of a sick desire to amass "likes" and "shares". Please do not cater to these "like whores" by liking or sharing their material. Instead, please report the image to Facebook.

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Last updated: July 11, 2012
First published: July 11, 2012
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Example

Detailed Analysis
According to this message, which is currently moving rapidly around Facebook, you can help a baby depicted in an accompanying photograph just by sharing the image on the network. The photograph shows a very young baby with an extremely distended stomach and a severe rash. The message claims that the baby has cancer and that Facebook will donate $1 to help him every time his picture is shared.

However, the claims in the message are outright lies. In fact, the message is a vile hoax . The baby does not have cancer and Facebook will certainly not donate money to help him or any other baby in exchange for sharing or liking a message. Tragically, little Ian Gromowski, the baby in the photograph, died back in August 2007 due to a severe reaction to a Hepatitis B vaccination. The immoral and contemptible individual who created this terrible hoax obviously took baby Ian's photograph from another source and used it without the permission or knowledge of the baby's parents. You can read Ian's story in a February 2009 article written by his mother, Deanna.

And why might you ask, would somebody do such a callous and reprehensible thing? Sadly, the motivation of these vile pranksters is generally no more than the desire to collect as many "shares" or "likes" for their heinous messages as possible. They apparently derive some sort of sick pleasure out of such activities and for that reason have been dubbed "like whores" by the Facebook community.

And alas, this hoax is certainly not the first of its kind. In fact, it is just one more in a long line of similar and equally disturbing hoaxes that claim that Facebook or another entity will donate to help a sick or injured baby in exchange for sharing or liking a photograph. Any message that makes such a claim is certain to be a hoax. The very idea that a company would agree to such a fund-raising scheme is simply absurd.

So, please do not feed the vile ambitions of the people who create such hoaxes by "liking" or "sharing" their messages. These people have no place on Facebook or any other social network. Such hoaxes are NOT harmless. Often, the unauthorized circulation of such photographs causes great distress to the child's family. Sharing such hoax messages is immoral and irresponsible. And since they do absolutely zero to help the pictured children, sharing these messages is utterly pointless as well.

If one of these hoaxes comes your way, please do NOT comment on the photo or the wall where the photo has been posted, as this just gives the hoax more unwarranted exposure because it puts the offending photo on to the news feeds of your Facebook friends. Instead, report the photograph to Facebook.

A number of us in the hoax and scam busting community are joining forces in an attempt to curtail these nasty and damaging hoaxes. You can help by reporting these images and letting your friends know that they are hoaxes. To reiterate, any message that claims that money will be donated in exchange for forwarding, sharing or liking a picture is certain to be a hoax.

References
Hepatitis B - adverse reaction claimed Ian's life
How Important is Hepatitis B Vaccination at Birth?
Facebook Share Hoax - $1.20 Per Share to Help Girl With Cancer
A Special Appeal to Facebook Users - Unauthorised Use of Baby Zoe Chambers Photograph
Help Us Stop the Sick Baby Facebook Hoax

Last updated: July 11, 2012
First published: July 11, 2012
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer