A message that’s being shared on Facebook and e-mailed saying a 14-year-old boy was shot and wounded by his step-dad is a hoax. The message claims that every time it’s shared, it will donate money to help with a charity to pay for surgery.
“14 YEAR OLD BOY WAS SHOT 6 TIMES BY HIS STEPFATHER . THIS BOY WAS PROTECTING HIS LITTLE 6 YEAR OLD SISTER WHO WAS ABOUT TO BE RAPED BY THIS POOR ... EXCUSE OF A MAN . THE LITTLE GIRL DID NOT GET HURT , THANKS TO HER BRAVE OLDER BROTHER,” it reads.
There’s several other variants of the message, some in all-capitals, and some not. Some say the sister is 2 years old and other say she’s 6 years old.
“Last friday a 14 yr old boy was shot 6 times by his step dad. The boy was protecting his 2 yr old sister, in whom the step dad was atempting to rape. The young girl was not harmed, bc of that young mans courage & loyalty to his sister. The mom was at work during this time. The 14 yr old boy is now fighting for his life, and the doctors say he will not make it unless he has this life saving surgery in wich the boys mom cant afford. So At&t has agreed to donate $0.45 every time this msg is sent. So fwd & help save a life!” another reads.
The message and its premise--a 14-year-old boy defending his sister and getting shot by his step-dad--has been around since at least 2010.
Hoax-Slayer says that people who see these messages should not forward them because they’re “money for forwarding” hoaxes.
“While such hoaxes have more commonly circulated via email, an increasing number are now distributed via mobile phone text messages and via social networking websites such as Facebook. If you receive this or a similar “money for forwarding” message, please do not increase the spread of such nonsense by sending it to others. And please take a moment to inform the sender that the message is a hoax,” the website reads.
