Fake News: 179 Year Old Man Living in India

waffles

November 24, 2015

A news story found online claims that a 179 year old man is living in India.

Fake News

The story is a fabrication by the fake news site World News Daily Report. The bogus article claims that a cobbler by the name of Mahashta Murasi had been named the oldest person to have ever lived by Guinness World Records.

Let’s take a look at some of the key points:

• World News Daily Report is known to publish outlandish fake news reports.
• No reputable media outlet has reported this story.
• As of this writing, Guinness still cites 122-year old Jean Calmet as the oldest person ever.
• The false story originally circulated in 2014, but in late 2015 it has been recycled by spammy “listicle” websites which appear to be using it to draw clicks.
• The identity of the man in the photo is unknown, but the image can be found in reverse images searches dating back to around 2007.

Claims of extreme age are common, although in this case no individual made the claim, but a fake news publication. Perhaps one of the more notable claims in modern times is that of Li Ching-Yuen, whose obituary cited his age as either 197 or 256.

Bottom Line

The story that a 179 year old man was living in India is false. It was first published by a fake news website, and has been perpetuated by click-bait websites.