Ebola In Doritos Hoax: 4chan Behind Prank, Frito-Lay Slams Tainted Product Scam
Over the Halloween weekend, the spooks definitely came out, and one elaborate prank had the internet on edge. Sunday, a user began a thread on the site 4chan and claimed the Ebola virus disease was running rampant in Doritos factory workers. As a consequence, according to the internet hoax, the deadly infection was spread to bags of Doritos chips that are now on retail shelves. Frito-Lay, the maker of the popular cheese chips, slammed the insensitive pranksters and denied any of its products was tainted with Ebola, according to a New York Daily News report out Monday.
The Ebola hoax involved various claims that Doritos workers suffering from the virus created an internal epidemic and inadvertently spread the infection to thousands of bags of chips, and the public should be alarmed. The rumors spread like wildfire, and with each post on the thread, it evolved into an even more elaborate claim meant to scare the cheese from the public.
Thread-users started a Twitter hashtag, #EbolaInDoritos, and the hoax was in full swing. The prank was even seen as authentic by some readers when photos of people with rashes cropped up, claiming they had recently consumed a bag of Doritos chips. Other layers of the prank involved fake screengrabs from credible news agencies that were carrying the breaking news coverage. The Ebola in Doritos hoax evolved so rapidly and became larger in scope, Reddit users began a thread as well.
Thankfully, considering the implications of food safety in America, the makers of Doritos issued a statement and debunked rumors its factories were tainted with Ebola. Additionally, there appears to be no claim that a recall of the products is underway.
“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.”
Since the Ebola virus began to spread uncontrollably, mostly in Sierra Leone, there has been global hysteria about the disease possibly crossing borders and creating havoc in developed nations. The United States increased its coverage and assets to combat the deadly virus when a Liberian national became infected with Ebola and later died in an American hospital. However, officials learned that the victim, Thomas Eric Duncan, caught the virus while overseas. Two nurses who treated Duncan also became infected, but fully recovered.
If you heard about the Ebola virus infection in Doritos hoax, how did you react? How far should websites and users be allowed to go when talking about matters of public safety?
[Image via: Amazon via New York Daily News]
