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Celebrity donations of tens of millions of dollars to Harvey victims are fake news
Three similarly worded posts published on News360-tv.com said Manny Pacquiao, Usain Bolt and Princes William and Harry had each donated tens of millions of dollars to Hurricane Harvey victims. They haven’t.
Pacquiao, a Filipino boxer and politician, was said to have spent $50 million to rebuild Houston. Princes Harry and William were said to have given $100 million to assist and house victims of the flood. And Bolt, an Olympic sprinter, was said to have spent a whopping $150 million on hurricane relief.
While other celebrities are indeed pledging thousands to the cause, these magnanimous donations haven’t been reported on any credible news sites, and the celebrities have not made any such announcements on social media.
The stories about Bolt and Pacquiao used almost the exact same wording as a story we’ve already debunked claiming boxer Floyd Mayweather donated $200 million for hurricane relief.
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They each started with the quip "To whom much is given, much is expected." They also falsely claimed the athletes had traveled to Houston and attributed the same quotes to each.
"It is a humanitarian gesture, an act of solidarity and support for a brotherly affected people," the stories attributed to Bolt, Pacquiao and Mayweather all say.
Unlike some other fake news sites, this one doesn’t have a disclaimer about the veracity of quotes or news reports, but it has all the tell-tale signs of a fake news peddler, like unattributed facts, no publication date and click-bait ads.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
News360-tv.com Prince William and Harry donates $100 million to Hurricane Harvey Victims
News360-tv.com, Usain Bolt donates $150 million dollars to Hurricane Harvey Victims
News360-tv.com, Manny Pacquaio donates $50 million to Hurricane Harvey victims
HoustonChronicle-tv.com, "Floyd Mayweather Jr. donates a whopping sum of money to Houston after Hurricane," Aug. 29, 2017
PunditFact, It's fake news that Floyd Mayweather Jr. donated $200 million to Houston for Hurricane Harvey relief, Aug. 30, 2017
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Celebrity donations of tens of millions of dollars to Harvey victims are fake news
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