Facebook user Nolan Daniels posted the following photo recently along with the message shown below:

“Looks like I won’t be going to work EVER!!!! Share this photo and I will give a random person 1 million dollars!”

Hopeful (and gullible) Facebook users wasted no time spreading this message far and wide across the platform. At the time of this writing, the photo has received over 550,000 shares!

For those of you that don’t know, the Powerball lottery paid out 588 million dollars this week, and Nolan is using the event as a way to dupe thousands of people. One of my own friends shared the photo, and when I called them out on it I got the typical response: “I figured it wasn’t true, but why not try?”

Gawker reports that the image isn’t genuine and has been Photoshopped. It has also been pointed out that on a legitimate ticket, the numbers would be presented from the smallest to the largest, and this photo clearly shows numbers out of order.

Before getting caught up in the moment, always take a few moments and verify Facebook rumors, updates and posts. It might save you some embarrassment from looking really silly to your friends!

Recommended Resources

BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams on Facebook.

PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.

Action Alert | Free Parental Control offers a 100% free Internet safety solution designed for parents. There is also a Maximum Protection option for parents that need a more advanced set of tools.