Ebola in Doritos Hoax - During the Halloween weekend, it appears some people were not contented with dressing up in "sexy" Ebola costume, offending many and causing media frenzy. Now, another Ebola-related Halloween incident is causing quite a stir, the latest Internet hoax that started Sunday on the social media website 4chan is now slammed by Frito-Lay for being false.
The elaborate prank on 4chan, or as they would call it, Ebola in Doritos hoax, put the internet on edge Sunday. Creators of the hoax started the hashtag #EbolaInDoritos and even made the effort to make screen grabs of fake news stories to share online.
4chan users began circulating bogus reports on media that the Ebola virus could be found in thousands of bags of Doritos after Doritos factory workers with the virus worked on the bags. According to the Ebola in Doritos hoax, the deadly virus had then spread to the Doritos bags which are now on retail shelves.
Frito-Lay immediately took action and slammed the tactless Ebola in Doritos hoax makers. The company debunked rumors that their factories and products had Ebola in them, according to Monday report on the New York Daily News.
In addition, there seemed to be no possible recall of the products underway, reports the Inquisitr.
"Internet rumors associating the Ebola virus with one of our packaged snack foods are absolutely and entirely false. While the Doritos brand is always a hot topic in social media, it is unfortunate someone chose to use this or any brand for such an insensitive prank," Doritos said in their statement.
Before Doritos released their statement, the Ebola in Doritos hoax spread the daunting rumor like wildfire. Thread-users started a Twitter hashtag, #EbolaInDoritos and additional threads appeared on Reddit Sunday.
"Oh no! Please tell me this is fake, I love doritos #EbolaInDoritos," said one Twitter user Monday.
"There's only one solution. We develop a vaccine for Ebola and then deliver it via Mountain Dew #EbolaInDoritos" said another Doritos fan via Twitter.
Call it placebo effect or not, some readers even went so far as to post photos with rashes cropping up after they claimed recently consuming a bag of Doritos chips.
Guys, I just ate a bag of Doritos, is this #Ebola ??! #EbolaInDoritos ?!?! pic.twitter.com/U2MI8RQ4jY
— Jackson M. Canny (@jacksonmcanny) November 3, 2014
The Ebola in Doritos hoax also involved fake screengrabs from credible news agencies such as CNN and Fox News reporting on the story and sharing them on social media.
The Ebola in Doritos hoax evolved in such a rapid manner and became so large in scope that others became suspicious of the news. However, they were quickly covered by the makers of the prank saying the phenomenon was real.
The Ebola virus in West Africa has been termed the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. The virus has spread uncontrollably, mostly in Sierra Leone.
The United States increased its efforts to fight the spread of the deadly virus, especially after an infected Liberian national made his way to American soil and later died in an American hospital. The victim, Thomas Eric Duncan, caught Ebola while in his home country. Two nurses who had contact with Duncan also became infected, but they are now fully recovered.
Since the Ebola virus has spread rapidly in several states in the US, and parts of West Africa, it may be normal to think it could contaminate food, but making an elaborate effort to scare the public, like what the makers of the Ebola in Doritos hoax did, is no joke.
The Ebola in Doritos hoax is too dangerous a prank and the pranksters certainly went too far. Hopefully, no other pranks concerning Ebola will pop up as health is no laughing matter.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
