The following hoax has been circulating on Facebook very rapidly:

If this little boy gets 100 shares he can get his heart transplant for free

This hoax is a variant of another popular one that has been circulating on Facebook for quite some time. Another message being circulated at the moment goes like this:

I NEED AT LEAST 100 SHARES.
Plz share…Heat surgery free of cost for children (0-10 Yrs) Ph : 080-28411500 It might save some1’s life…!Sharing takes a second……in bangalore INDIAMore than likes, sharing can help !

According to Hoax-Slayer, the hoax is based on the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, a medical institituion that does provide free medical care to both children and adults. Obviously, the free medical treatment is not conidtioned on the number of Facebook shares generated.

The photo in this post is from a story published in 2008 and has no connection to the hoax whatsoever.

Disregard and do not spread messages that offer to donate money for each Facebook message shared, email forwarded, or text message sent, as virtually all of them are certain to be a hoax.

Always take a moment to check the facts before spreading messages and warnings on Facebook.

If you or your Facebook friends are falling for tricks like this, it’s time to get yourself informed of the latest threats. Be sure to join the Facecrooks community of 95,000 fans on Facebook to be kept informed of the latest security issues.

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