15 Viral Images That Turned Out To Be Fake (2 of 8)

2. Helicopter Shark (2001)

The Internet’s favorite “National Geographic Photo of the Year” was … a complete hoax? Well, technically, it’s a mash-up: Charles Maxwell’s shark plus Lance Cheung’s Air Force helicopter. NatGeo had to publicly deny it, and the hoaxer never surfaced. It was a great meme that fooled (and probably still fools) literally millions of people.

3. Tourist Photos Before 9/11

A chilling “taken moments before” snapshot ricocheted online after 9/11. Thankfully, the man pictured wasn’t actually there when the attacks happened. The whole thing was a staged/edited hoax that preyed on shock and virality. Let’s face it, some individuals are truly reprehensible.