A rumour is spreading like wildfire on the Internet that claims the drinking age in the US has risen to 25.
On social media the story appears to come from ABC.com as the source, however when you click the link you are directed to a site called the Sunday Times Daily that reveals the story is nothing more than a joke.
However it appears many are not getting the joke since there are plenty of people who genuinely believe the drinking age is actually going up to 25.
The Sunday Times Daily is amongst a growing number of prank websites that allows users to enter a fictional headline and description that generates a fake social-media-savvy link that the user can then share across sites like Facebook to dupe their friends.
Of course once the friends click the link to see for themselves, the game is up and the site reveals it is a joke. But in a bizarre twist of events it appears many user are just simply not clicking the link, instead taking the headline as face value, causing viral rumours to circulate!
Previous pranks has duped UK surfers into thinking popular soap Eastenders had been axed, whilst another had Breaking Bad fans excited with a fake story claiming the series had been renewed.
So, one more time – NO. The drinking age in the USA is not going up to 25.
Remember people – don’t take Internet links at face value! Always do your own research before spreading information you see online!
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