Iranian officials say more than 150 people were killed when an air strike struck a school in Minab, in the country's southern Hormozgan province. With investigations into the incident underway, Facebook posts are weaponizing photos of celebrities and top athletes to falsely claim large donations are flowing to the victims. These posts are part of a wider pattern of AI-generated clickbait that invents charitable acts to drive engagement.
"Ilia Malinin has donated his entire $10 million in recent bonuses and sponsorship earnings to provide emergency relief and medical aid following the tragic elementary school strike in southern Iran" claims a March 1, 2026 Facebook post sharing a picture of the American Olympic figure skater alongside images showing debris and broken buildings.
The text continues with a quote allegedly attributed to Malinin: "I've seen the reports about those innocent children in the south, and I promised myself that if I ever had the chance to help those caught in the crossfire of this war, I would step up."
Posts attributed the identical quote to other athletes purportedly making donations including tennis star Coco Gauff, former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow and the WNBA's Sophie Cunningham.
Others duplicated the claim while swapping in the names of musicians such as Eminem, Britney Spears, Cardi B, Brandi Carlyle, Post Malone and Neil Diamond.
The posts gained traction after the United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes on February 28 against...
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