Snopes Debunker - Is That Email About a Google Plus Settlement Real?

Is That Email About a Google Plus Settlement Real? ​ Here at Snopes, we get a lot of questions about email scams. This week, queries about the email subject line, “Notice of Class Action Settlement re Google Plus – Your Rights May Be Affected,” floated to the top of our list. The email claimed that users of the now-defunct Google Plus social network might be eligible for a cash payment from a 2018 lawsuit settlement and directed them to a website that outlined options for receiving payment.  But was the message legit? Check out this latest report from Snopes’ Nur Ibrahim to get the details. Read More

FYI: We’ve Got a New Look As we supercharge Snopes for 2020, we’re taking some time to revamp the look and feel of the Snopes Debunker. You may see some visual changes over the course of the next few issues, but rest assured — it will still deliver the same fact checks and latest news you trust.

Fact Checks

Did ‘The Simpsons’ Predict the Beirut Explosion? According to the internet, "The Simpsons" writers are the world's best prognosticators. ❌ False

Did a Pennsylvania Voter Receive Two Usable Ballots? "Even if a person receives multiple ballots, only one return ballot can be counted," according to Allegheny County. ✅ ❌ Mixture

Did Biden Call for an ‘End to Shareholder Capitalism’? Fear-mongering Facebook memes misrepresented the position articulated by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in a speech in July 2020. ❌ Mostly False

Can You Get Legionnaires’ Disease from Face Masks? Rumors about masks are getting more creative, but health experts still recommend wearing cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19. ❌ False

Did Jared Kushner’s Task Force Scrap Nationwide COVID-19 Testing Over Politics? The pandemic response team led by Kushner, senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, reportedly did not want to extend help to blue states. ❔ Unproven

Was Beirut Explosion Caused By a Missile? Video of a catastrophic explosion in Beirut was pretty shocking without being manipulated. ❌ False

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News

Three Major Scientific Controversies About Coronavirus The SARS-COV-2 coronavirus is novel, and we don’t yet have all the facts about it. As a result, we may have to change our approach as new scientific data comes in. Read More

Facebook Removes Another Misinformation Network Linked to Epoch Times The actions come after an investigation by Snopes into the digital network's fraudulent behavior. Read More

Poppy Troll Doll Pulled After Child-Grooming Complaints Hasbro announced it was pulling a Troll doll from store shelves after social media users complained about the placement of a button on the doll's bottom. Read More

Plane Skids Off Runway in India; 16 Killed, Dozens Hurt A special evacuation flight bringing people home to India who had been trapped abroad because of the coronavirus skidded off a runway and split in two while landing in heavy rain in the southern state of Kerala, killing at least 16 passengers and injuring 123 more. Read More

Trump Bans Dealings with Chinese Owners of TikTok, WeChat U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. Read More

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Staff Pick ​ Is USPS Purposefully Slowing Mail To Help Reelect Trump? U.S. Postal Service workers nationwide reported backlogs of letters and packages in summer 2020. But was the issue political? Read More