I Tricked VICE Into Running a Fake Story. It Went VIRAL

[@LewSpears]

Thanks for the free promo VICE! All press is good press right? Tickets are gonna FLY out the door now. Melbourne! Grab your tickets here: www.lewspears.com/gigs Outside Melbourne? Check the GigList!: lewspears.com/pages/giglist

[@MangoMunch69]

Do you consider yourself a monke?

[@adoptedegg_3392]

first??

[@NashBasNicholaiandGeorge192]

"The Best things in life are free" Now give me money

[@MangoMunch69]

Next you should go to the UK or somewhere in europe and fake them out

[@MangoMunch69]

@@adoptedegg_3392 nope get rekt

[@josuevalar6465]

Dude the fact that the company actually came out with a statement that they fixed the vulnerability is the actual cherry on top, hats off to you mate

[@eskimose6073]

That was the best part

[@zcmini000]

If you do a little bit of research, you can see that this was actually a problem. It made the news as a real story in early January.

[@zenthrosrion9147]

The fact that people were calling this a masterpiece had me laughing my ass off but whenever the actual company referenced the article and said they fixed the issue had me dying.

[@Anim3ddicted]

@@zenthrosrion9147 but it is a masterpiece, lol

[@AbsolXGuardian]

That's because it was a real exploit a whitehat hacker discovered and the devs ignored. So this was a story that could have happened, and so it's a net positive that it got fixed.

[@x_MirariM_x]

This is the most convoluted ad I’ve ever seen. Respect

[@vladimirirkhin]

*(this comment was made before realizing there was a convoluted ad)*

[@Chuckvsfrank1232]

@@vladimirirkhinthis is an ad for lewis spears. NOT a literal youtube ad

[@heraclitu-s]

have you not heard of reckless ben?

[@vladimirirkhin]

@@Chuckvsfrank1232 thanks mate for clarifying

[@scorpiomelancholia1559]

Need to update my adblocker

[@OldMateRiver]

I saw the article, skimmed past it and was like "shit, dude. that sucks," and moved on. It's so much funnier now that I've seen this.

[@currentlybuyinggme7357]

Lol. Same

[@urphakeandgey6308]

Yeah, most news is a joke. Even the "serious" stuff honest-to-god isn't that serious in the immediate sense anyway. All you can really do is just live on and not be an asshole feeding into the world's cancer.

[@pactimnoob1131]

I saw a meme these green text memes and this was described it was around a year ago

[@camgaming-jv8ns]

I saw this also and then saw this video like a year on and cried of laughter

[@blockocraft1920]

Next video: *Tricking the Onion into publishing a real story*

[@tash5540]

The onion is my number 1 news source

[@aquatax24]

@Tash It's Americas Finest News Source

[@jockin]

lol

[@revoltingslob4678]

@@aquatax24 Atleast theyre not bias.

[@hardboilednut8215]

The amount of stuff they predict though it’s better than news

[@e39purist89]

Dude, my Christian private school used that article as an example of the dangers of sex toys lmao.

[@random_dragon]

You have to show them this video now, lmao

[@JanxakaJX]

The teachers must want to control the market that’s all

[@renhatori2849]

Yha you go back and say that Article is fack and I have sam summers own testimony

[@Cimlite]

The hack was real though, just his testimony that was fake. So, your school isn't wrong.

[@LewSpears]

now they can use it to show the dangers of lying

[@dorahthedestroyer1264]

plot twist, the story is real and lewis spears is actually tricking all of us instead of vice

[@viktorbirkeland6520]

Plot twist, Lewis spears isn't real, it's just a character Vice created ages ago to get insight into the youtube community and to get dirt on all us Internet weirdos

[@nanamacapagal8342]

Either way it pans out it just goes to show how easy it is to spread fake news

[@Daddy_Bear_722]

Plot twist comments are maybe the worst thing about KZbin

[@nanamacapagal8342]

@@Daddy_Bear_722 not so much of a plot twist now, is it?

[@viktorbirkeland6520]

@@nanamacapagal8342 actually true. It reminds me of that Justin Bieber sideways burrito video, which was just a few youtubers doing minimum effort shit, and it blew up the Internet, lmao! Smart to go for sideways burrito though, almost as contentious as pineapple on pizza, you know the media can't help themselves when they see stories like that, that basically write themselves, and that gets the masses riles up over non-issues!

[@Lysergic_]

no fucking way I've actually seen this article referenced LMAO

[@norbertovillarealiii6750]

Yeah me too, its a while back but I remembered seeing this.

[@nousername8162]

I think the story was real, just his experience wasnt. No way he got it that viral Edit: NO FUCKING WAY WHAT

[@maidcatboy]

SAME LMFAO

[@NazwaBricksZajeta]

hahah does anyone have offline copy of this? xD

[@anzacxlag2606]

I remember the story blew up on reddit a while back.

[@jdc2944]

Y O U R C O C K I S M I N E How did you not laugh from that

[@alifpatria2135]

Ikrrrrr

[@shugyigo4901]

Funny thing is when this actually happened to people some people got that exact message, must've been scary lol

[@mastoid45]

If I could send a message back I'd weird the absolute shit out of him until he has to let me go

[@ceilinglight1413]

Why would you put your pp in a cage tho

[@blanketzombie2027]

@@ceilinglight1413 some people are into that, man ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@spencyn2641]

I wanna talk about that last bit about the company. Hearing how they stated the "problem" was "solved" makes me wonder how many companies just don't do anything and say their problem is fixed...

[@demoniclily1892]

Well given that the device was electronic and connected to his phone which can be comprised it's not to far fetched to imagine a situation where a hacker gained control of an app on your phone and is controlling the device from another phone or computer. Similar things has happened to security systems and wifi tvs.

[@JasminMiettunen]

Even in this video one of the retweets commented on how in the original story nobody had gotten stuck, which referred to earlier security issues where these devices were locked shut and unusable. Lewis just made up a better story that got the company’s attention. Here’s what vice said after this video: “In January, Motherboard published an article about a hacker who locked multiple people out of their internet-connected chastity cages. That story was based on third-party security research, widespread public complaints from users who had been hacked, interviews with two victims, messages between a hacker and victims, and a statement from the affected company. After that story was published, Motherboard spoke to another alleged victim, "Sam Summers" and published the article you see below. On March 24, an Australian comedian named Lewis Spears revealed that he fabricated the story. Spears also fabricated a screenshot as evidence to back up this story. Motherboard can no longer stand behind this article which we are retaining in full for transparency. We regret the error.”

[@urphakeandgey6308]

Turns out it was a 100% plausible scenario. So they probably actually did fix the issue. The story that sparked the fix just wasn't real. Apparently, someone else actually suffered from this issue *_after_* the fake story broke.

[@CrypticConsole]

A vulnerability was found a few months earlier but they refused to acknowledge it. This story got them scared.

[@jayfeather143]

It was a real vulnerability though. Lewis was claiming to be a victim of that vulnerability because he saw an article from the same reporter he contacted about it. The original article not the one Lewis was involved in was what got the company to fix it. The vulnerability was discovered long before that article and the company just didn’t fix. I’m more concerned about a company not fixing a bug because the public doesn’t know about it than a company pretending they fixed one that didn’t exust because only one of them happened.

[@ColonelAftershock]

So to be fair, the Cellmate actually was vulnerable to hacking. A security researcher found it in like June of last year and the manufacturer just refused to acknowledge it until after the vice story, so the story you presented was actually very plausible

[@hergetoro]

Correct.

[@zcmini000]

This was also the second Vice story about it

[@Polska_Edits]

So he helped people by giving it attention

[@psycheded4272]

There was a known vulnerability on those devices and other people had been hacked in exactly the way he described. Vice had even covered it themselves just a couple of weeks prior in an article written by the same journalist. Since he already knew a lot about it, you can see why the journalist, Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, believed this so readily. Lewis frames this like he totally invented a farcical story and Vice didn't fact check any of it, but really he just invented being a victim of a real and known issue with a real and known product. He also implies that he chose the journalist almost arbitrarily which is clearly bullshit. He specifically chose the same journalist who had covered the original story. Lorenzo probably could have done a bit more to verify the story (maybe asking more questions about specifics or requesting some kind of proof of purchase) but this was just a fluff piece to round out his previous article about the vulnerability. In any case, he didn't need to fact check the faulty product, because that was already done and dusted. I'm no fan of Vice but I can't blame them too much for this one.

[@unknonymous5220]

Reporting the news before they happen, just like the Onion.

[@DanMan]

We not only bamboozled vice we confuzzled charlie

[@awesomegmer86]

Subway?

[@terzanole]

Jesus himself was duped

[@dave-is9sw]

he was prankedkadoodled

[@Plan-ETs]

he was s m e c k l e d o r f e d

[@timtamz3223]

As soon as I saw the title I thought about this

[@keagans.7296]

A simple “can I get a screenshot” would have ended this easily lol

[@Ghalaghor_McAllistor]

Photoshop

[@JasminMiettunen]

He did provide them with a screenshot, according to the updated article after this video came out.

[@keagans.7296]

@@Ghalaghor_McAllistor a good reporter would still ask

[@keagans.7296]

@-Vxlkrye- a good reporter would still ask

[@keagans.7296]

@@JasminMiettunen apparently cap he woulda said that lol

[@ToastedShoes]

Imagine this actually happens to someone, now they're not gonna believe them

[@badussi7570]

😳

[@mrrpmrrpmeow]

😳

[@hggg1823]

😳

[@mischievousamoeba]

Vice is saying that there were more victims and that "Sam" was just the last one they interviewed.

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

Flex out of it

[@Dacept]

You are a genius my friend

[@quakeev334]

115k subscribers and only 2 likes? Impossible.

[@cookievega8528]

I just saw your comment on Charlie's video

[@hamadcheats]

*_haha yes_*

[@egewg1207]

wow a classic comment from someone who is verified and will instantly get likes

[@Thunder_God_Eneru]

@eg ewg you’re just salty because you never create a good enough comment to get likes lll

[@azzy6687]

He's as trustable as any director from SCP Foundation

[@jacksonparker3671]

@@romaios1609 Not exactly. Not all SCP are horror-based. It could be an SCP that makes your junk bigger.

[@sythe2802]

@@jacksonparker3671 I mean have you heard of SCP 113

[@switchamafuck78]

173 likes😳

[@archerymidnight3422]

​@@jacksonparker3671Sounds like some Sarkic heresy

[@sebastienriou6603]

Next Lewis Spears video: "I tricked NASA into believing a fake planet exists"

[@luukvanoijen7082]

Is this what happened to pluto

[@rafaelbalsan4512]

I Tricked the United States Government Into Believing the Russian Federation Has Launched Nukes

[@volosts7988]

@@rafaelbalsan4512 LOL

[@astrophage8633]

@@rafaelbalsan4512 HAHAHAHAHA

[@xleplex7070]

@@rafaelbalsan4512 Oh no

[@IcariosLightning]

Next Video: Lewis Spears Tricked Lewis Spears into Running a Lewis Spears Story about Lewis Spears

[@abijanu_101]

It went VIRAL.

[@svampebob007]

isn't that the point of his "career"?

[@hexcodeff6624]

"He is making you look like such a fool" -"He really is. But not for long."

[@aspect2504]

i swear i have seen something similar to that on the onion but with Putin

[@Dominik-ye7hj]

@@aspect2504 Putin learns Putin behind plot to assassinate Putin

[@braxtonwalker9449]

This plays off one of my weird fears, that if I got into a situation so severe, yet so weird, and crazy, that if I were to call the police for help, they wouldn’t believe me, and think it was just a prank call.

[@TeaInTheMorning-we2kh]

It happens more than you may think. I have read about multiple accounts of people calling 911 and the dispatcher blowing it off as made up or paranoia and not sending an officer then having something bad happen to the caller.

[@takoshihitsamaru4675]

@@TeaInTheMorning-we2kh We heard gunshots in our neighbourhood and children screaming, cops clearly thought we were full of shit, no units, no follow up call. We called again, still nothing. To this day, no idea if anything actually happened, but it sounded very bad.

[@TeaInTheMorning-we2kh]

@@takoshihitsamaru4675 Oh dear. If it's any consolation it sounds like you did all you reasonably could in that situation.

[@FlareBlitzBanana]

The fact that this fooled even Charlie, the lead expert on penile studies, is proof of Lewis’ mastery of deception.

[@TravisEaly]

Right? I was kind blown. Charlie does his research, but when the news outlet that made this viral doesn't do any research, it's hard to do your own research. Research.

[@gryla5290]

What video was that?

[@OGbluetooth_]

Internet Jesus Charlie?

[@johnnylego807]

Dude is an idiot who acts like an all knowing god and his fans eat it up. I’m not surprised he was fooled

[@arlaux1099]

@@johnnylego807 K

[@theonlyjoe_]

“Spoiler alert: it’s not real” Ffs Lewis i wasn’t expecting that one

[@gameplaysuffering1620]

Plot twist, it was actually real

[@MisterJokestar]

I remember seeing this in my recomended newsfeed, and just losing faith in humanity, good to know its just the media i dont have to have faith in.

[@benrex7775]

Google morbus kobold. Your faith will be lost again.

[@urphakeandgey6308]

Some pervert getting locked in a chastity cage should be the least of your worries. Do we even live on the same planet???

[@grey1916]

I think the best thing about this story is the company who makes the device went in and ensured that the device was unhackable and apparently fixed some issues. Sounds like a win to me

[@altaccount4697]

I'm laughing thinking about 5-6 programmers frantically testing the code to find out how tf it got hacked, finding nothing, and then walking into marketing and going "umm... So..."

[@killertigergaming6762]

@@altaccount4697 it would be hackers testing the code not programmers still pretty funny

[@gamearmy2195]

Anyone know why that thing exist

[@davidy22]

@@altaccount4697 Oh, no, it was absolutely a real problem. If you watched the first half of this video, the whole fake story is built off a real known exploit, the only made up part is the bit about his personal physical suffering.

[@92brunod]

Or they could have been lying, did you think about that possibility?

[@_SK1]

When are news company's going to put pictures of Lewis on the wall saying not to believe anything he says.

[@bp56789]

I can't wait for the elaborate disguises

[@fiendish9474]

props to VICE for transparency, the article is still on their website.

[@arolemaprarath3248]

Really? Can you send me the link?

[@fiendish9474]

@@arolemaprarath3248 don't have it saved on my mobile, but at the time of writing that comment if you search up the article Lewis gave em it was still up on Vice with an update note admitting they got tricked and are keeping the article up

[@sirapple589]

Glad to see that Lewis hasn’t lost his trolling touch from his Nebz Adlay days.

[@BlitzzingArts]

Golden era of facebeef

[@clothesclothes777]

whatever happened to tristan and the others lol

[@sig1200]

@@clothesclothes777 Tristan not doing alot, He doesnt like Lewis, not sure why

[@MediaBoy13]

@@clothesclothes777 Tristan still posts on facebook regularly

[@Eshayzbra96]

@@sig1200 hmm, but they are still married. Says so on Lewis' facebook.

[@BenIsFound]

Not only did you trick the internet, but you also tricked Moist Cr1TiKaL as well. Absolute respect

[@cobrak1ngs]

That guy is so stupid honestly. Tries to come off as a smart all knowing being and his fans eat it up.

[@ploppyjr2373]

@@cobrak1ngs i have a feeling you guys aren’t talking about the same person because critikal acts as dumb as a rock on purpose so he doesn’t even try to look smart.

[@drumboarder1]

@@cobrak1ngs I liked him a long time ago but I quite honestly don't understand how anyone gets through a video of his now

[@ploppyjr2373]

@@BallerBenja 😂

[@Blurro]

I like some of his vids but not so much now, especially his live streams where he can't plan his script and ends up just saying stupid shit in its place

[@zackmorden2742]

My local radio talk shows were running this story lmaooooo

[@vclonev]

I thought he would have done a "I'm just an average guy trying to rub-a-chicken"

[@HaloWolf102]

"We won't release your rubber chicken unless you pay us the money"

[@RustyVaperGameplay]

I thought the hackers handle would be rubber chicken and Lewis would say he is based in South Melbourne.

[@paulkelleher2707]

I love how he made his interview into a game show trying to sneak in the name of his comedy show.

[@zcmini000]

So, Lewis is misrepresenting the situation a little bit. The story of the chastity device being hacked IS a real story, widely correctly reported, and there was a real issue that was fixed. The fake part was that Lewis was a victim.

[@finnbach2632]

Yeah, I have no idea why he made claims in the video that suggested he made the ENTIRE thing up. Either he had the idea separate from a very real thing going on (unlikely) or he is intentionally misrepresenting it to make his accomplishment look more impressive. For someone complaining about journalistic integrity he's not being honest himself.

[@somerandomperson3970]

@@finnbach2632 Ah, so he made that story up, but the issue is true

[@doctorsno906]

@@finnbach2632 I agree he was playing up the making it all up thing, but in fairness he isn’t a journalist so he can lie if he wants.

[@SpankinYaBoy]

The best part is the blue checkmarks on twitter praising the fake story and saying it's a masterpiece and unlike anything they have ever read lmao... Twitter and journalism is a joke...

[@floyd1300]

Sprite

[@alext3811]

@@floyd1300 FOR THE THIRSTY!

[@SupernovaeTech]

@one one The first sentence of an article I was reading earlier was something along the lines of "20 year old Maria was ...". I checked who published the rubbish and it was VICE

[@peyton3509]

@one one the only news publisher i get my news from is the onion

[@matt_neo]

I mean, it probably really was unlike anything they've ever read lmao

[@tommuinnit]

I can't wait for all the people who shared the story because they "related" to see this video.

[@jeremyhearne]

Dram sooks

[@xxxDarkzSiderxxx]

Shhhhhhhhh

[@jspicecue1463]

A what?

[@laa0fa502]

I showed this news article to all my friends. We laughed at this for 30 minutes straight. Thank you so much for the yucks

[@abrararifify]

Holy shit that article was trending on Reddit when it came out LMAO

[@incognito6351]

What subreddit?

[@hendrik6720]

Reddit is full of bots and braindead mongs hitting the weed too much. Heavily moderated by "volunteer" teams that are in fact paid to curate the shit. Reddit is cringe and a more toxic version of facebook. Get on ifunny. It's where true gentlemen of culture and taste congregate to have civil and enlightened discussion.

[@WeirdTigy]

@@hendrik6720 dude, wow

[@magneticbulldog3063]

Holy shit cr1tical covers this in one of his vids

[@schwarz8614]

@@hendrik6720 Disgusting

[@jasperhopland8913]

Holy crap, you were the guy behind this whole thing, man. You even tricked Moist Critikal, mad props.

[@himlolo]

Critical is funny and all but why is that an even. He isn't that smart lmao.

[@motherfive8088]

@@himlolo I don’t know if critikal is actually stupid or just plays a character (I don’t really care tho because he is entertaining)

[@himlolo]

@@motherfive8088 i don't think he is intentionally acting stupid or acting stupid at all. I just don't consider him above average in terms of intelligence. He has a lot of common sense though.

[@killertigergaming6762]

@@himlolo he is clearly a genius nasa even stole his idea

[@viktorbirkeland6520]

@@himlolo yeah I don't know about intelligence, impossible to tell without a proper test, which basically no normal human takes. (I took an IQ and complete brain function / memory test because of a car accident, possibility of damage and problems with memory) He's kinda playing sort of a character, turning up his personality a lot, to make it funnier, but he definitely has street smarts and common sense enough for all of us. He's like a group of blue collar dads who knows a thing or two all wrapped up into a single fine specimen!

[@johndeer3190]

I love how genuine and reliable this news source is

[@SpecialEllio]

It's funny how few people realise that the issue was real and the fake part was just Lewis being a victim of it.

[@pickelsvx]

I was just gonna say even if the whole thing was a hoax, there is still the potential for it to really happen.

[@Doofinon]

@@pickelsvx oh I hope not xd but tbh people would still buy it just because of that possibility xd

[@Triplicata]

"Sorry Lorenzo, you're not a bad journalist" That was the biggest lie in the entire video

[@decimals1238]

Yeah he’s not a bad journalist he’s one of the worst

[@lememe9781]

Lmao what moron

[@thibhan98]

Vice "journalists" are fucking jokes

[@badtoxxin7909]

300

[@oitthegroit1297]

@@stanrobinson5265 He didn't do any research into the actual story to verify if it was real. That's a sign of bad journalism. Plus, they won't even talk about actual events, they just talk about degenerate sex acts and drugs.

[@elliotcutliff7779]

Sir you trolled so many reliable sources, you have earned my respect and a sub.

[@readlt1280]

"Reliable"

[@elliotcutliff7779]

@@readlt1280 Fair 'nuff

[@TheParkKeeper]

Hey, this guy is really funny! Does anyone know if he’s got any shows coming up?

[@crazycjk]

Nah, I'm sure he'd have mentioned it in the video if he did!

[@drumboarder1]

I doubt it, probably best not to look into it

[@floyd1300]

Sprite

[@kazumakiryu3397]

@@floyd1300 cranberry

[@Volcanikss]

@@drumboarder1 I mean vice didnt, why should we???

[@AJ-tc9nr]

At first I was under the assumption that you probably got that poor reporter fired but it seems likely that you ended up getting him a promotion. I've never seen so many wins in one video.

[@rosstully5960]

Vice doesn't fire people for incompetence. Or dishonesty. Only for have unsanctioned opinions

[@AJ-tc9nr]

@@rosstully5960 right right. I forgot.

[@hendrik6720]

@@rosstully5960 your opinion means nothing. You live in a soft dictatorship that's currently transitioning into a banana republic. Democracy is an illusion. Praise hypnotoad.

[@Overqualification]

@@hendrik6720 I hope you’re being ironic. Especially with “hypnotoad”

[@DrHeavenly]

@@Overqualification lol hes joking

[@jhomastefferson3693]

Critical did a story on this. He took vice's word for it. It all sounded plausible so I did too. Well played.

[@yeet12937]

Critical thinks he's all that so ofc he did

[@-MankoMan]

Next video: "I tricked the world into believing that Australia is real."

[@doublem1354]

It is, just look at our neighbouring universe.

[@myhamsterflewaway55]

No way everybody knows it’s fake

[@bv83x]

@@doublem1354 perhaps

[@fredpuntdroad8701]

To be fair, this guy could make up Denmark and make the world believe it really exists.

[@Mybabycase]

Hard to believe because we have an amazing life with no corona no mass immigration and a high minimum wage and government unemployment benefits...

[@Magmava]

Companies usually deny issues, but I'm glad to see the dick cage company fix important, non existent issues.

[@gamearmy2195]

Why does that thing even exist?

[@HeyImTiP]

According to another comment, there actually was an issue with the security but the company didnt think it was a big deal so they never fixed it until this story

[@JasminMiettunen]

T!P yeah, here's vices response to this video: “In January, Motherboard published an article about a hacker who locked multiple people out of their internet-connected chastity cages. That story was based on third-party security research, widespread public complaints from users who had been hacked, interviews with two victims, messages between a hacker and victims, and a statement from the affected company. After that story was published, Motherboard spoke to another alleged victim, "Sam Summers" and published the article you see below. On March 24, an Australian comedian named Lewis Spears revealed that he fabricated the story. Spears also fabricated a screenshot as evidence to back up this story. Motherboard can no longer stand behind this article which we are retaining in full for transparency. We regret the error.”

[@abhinavmankotia9867]

It's amazing how this story is still going around as true.

[@zzmoonz]

Coz it is dummy, the original story was out long before the fake one in this video

[@fifafanatic24]

I love how "sam" is basically lewis' troll alter ego at this point. Same name he used for the rebel media vid.

[@SoapMurderer]

Sam Summers is lewis spears' slim shady

[@junoguten]

How does he keep getting away with it?

[@raymondlin2693]

WAOH CRITIKAL MADE A VIDEO ON THIS STORY

[@goodgoblin3169]

I remember that...

[@random_dragon]

Do you have a link?

[@jschumacher5786]

I remember that and I was confused cause that was while ago

[@sailor_mythra1323]

It was also on 2 episodes of The Official Podcast

[@rusty9705]

What? Link?

[@willprince643]

Lol, I found it 5 months later, but it's great, I really consider subscribing, great job man, also you inspired me to try tricking some bad journalism websites into publishing fakes stories :P.

[@BasiliskX]

Holy shit, with how much that article was spread around I hope your channel blows up when everyone finds out

[@СимонЦанков]

I hate your profile pic

[@robbiecossack1173]

@@СимонЦанков bahahah

[@bobveinne2439]

This man could trick an entire enemy army into surrendering by saying their limbs will turn into dildos if they don't, and he will somehow make it believable.

[@fredpuntdroad8701]

It's not very nice that you're reminding the Danish army of their darkest hour, you know.

[@Alice-he2zh]

@@fredpuntdroad8701 what?...

[@fredpuntdroad8701]

@@Alice-he2zh They've been known to surrender at the drop of a hat. Their record is two hours, something which was only beaten by the army of Zanzibar fighting the British navy (48 minutes).

[@bobveinne2439]

@@fredpuntdroad8701 I might get r/wooshed here but I think you're mixing the easily surrendered with the easily deceived.

[@zenthrosrion9147]

I think he could do something plausible by posing as some army secret weapons R&D officer and saying they have the gay bomb in full production

[@junoguten]

That interview sure was short compared to the article.

[@timyio5381]

THE BIG MAN HAS DONE IT AGAIN!

[@0life5]

Wow, I can't believe this was you. I remember seeing Cr1tikal make a video about this a couple months ago.

[@unluckygamer692]

He made one again lmao.

[@bob-kq6xl]

Same

[@naxwit]

NO WAY hahahahha I ate the whole thing up! Read the story and the company's response and just thought who the hell would do this xD genius you are

[@justinc4782]

"Trust me im lying" by ryan holiday is a book that goes in depth into how easy this kind of thing is to do

[@SICresinwrks]

This is fucking gold! I remember reading that article and thinking vice got scammed by someone telling a story and expected graphic novels to end up in the story some how 🤣

[@hotshotx1598]

Plot twist: this was an actual issue that happened, you're joke just brought it to public attention and finally forced the company to fix their security LMFAO

[@melonlord7443]

im pretty sure something along these lines did happen and Moist critikal spoke about it kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3y8eKSDmJp-bZY

[@lucasnicht3347]

@@melonlord7443 that is this hoax

[@wayfa13]

@@lucasnicht3347 Yeah you gotta wait a bit for the joke to circle back and hit them on the head

[@Tehan123]

@@lucasnicht3347 Well no you can see there's an article from the 11th of Jan before Lewis spoke to Vice so it was a real thing

[@strapjuh]

​@@lucasnicht3347 The vice article in critikal's video was about the actual ransomware. Lewis submitted a fake story to the journalist in response to that article, which is the email you can see at 3:02.

[@dbakes6164]

I’m convince that this is a good thing that he is doing, showing how reporters believe everything they hear and that they don’t do any research

[@SamiTheAnxiousBean]

This is absolutely genius I love it! The story is hilarious and you definantly fit your job description

[@realdragon]

Here's article: www.vice.com/en/article/4ad5xp/we-spoke-to-a-guy-who-got-his-dick-locked-in-a-cage-by-a-hacker They did update on it "In January, Motherboard published an article about a hacker who locked multiple people out of their internet-connected chastity cages. That story was based on third-party security research, widespread public complaints from users who had been hacked, interviews with two victims, messages between a hacker and victims, and a statement from the affected company. After that story was published, Motherboard spoke to another alleged victim, "Sam Summers" and published the article you see below. On March 24, an Australian comedian named Lewis Spears revealed that he fabricated the story. Spears also fabricated a screenshot as evidence to back up this story. Motherboard can no longer stand behind this article which we are retaining in full for transparency. We regret the error."

[@sujimayne]

At least they're transparent, I guess that's something.

[@DueySR]

That actually shows that Lewis is straight up lying for most of this video. He did not come up with this story, and he didn't make it go viral. Cages being hacked was already a real story and Lewis just pretended to be a victim to get an interview.

[@Lefaseer]

@@DueySR yeah this whole "owning the journalists" thing is just stupid. What kind of research could they have done? To them it's just some random dude telling about his personal experience. There's nothing surprising or funny about trash news releasing such an article based on only the testimony of one guy. I guess this can act as a reminder that something being on the news doesn't make it more real.

[@nocturnal6863]

Never trust the tale of someone who has already admitted they like to tell tall tales, while telling you a tale.

[@FurtherReadingTV]

@@Lefaseer "What kind of research could they have done?" is a good point. Based on the motherboard article it was possible and the company admitted to a vulnerability, so what did he expect? They send the IT team down to Melbourne to do digital forensics on the device?

[@oqasho.]

Apparently the article is still up, which doesn't bode well for Vice lol. I saved it and I'm gonna keep an eye to see if and when they take it down. That's hilarious, good job!

[@Captmarksparrow]

I remember reading this story, and I just found your channel today, and this is hilarious! Well played dude!

[@nisqhog2881]

I saw Charlie (penguinz0) talk about this when the news broke, thought it was kinda suspicious but it was still a fun story. Glad it was you behind it all haha

[@justagreekdude]

0:48 That small touch with the race car had me 💀💀💀

[@MyFictionalChaos]

I remember seeing this on the news and showed this to everyone and believed it was real omg!!!!! It was so hilarious I was sending it to everyone I know. Ive always wanted to do this myself.

[@serbianradicalpartyleaderv1434]

I actually saw this in my feed on a social app, glad to know you were behind this...

[@random_dragon]

I'm not even a minute into the video and am already hype! It's been so long since we've seen Lewis use his chaotic powers to get on the news We love this man!!

[@chris-um2sh]

This is the madlad who joked about Prince Philip AFTER he died. Fucking mad respect to this mad man

[@aristobulus8754]

I'm almost certain that i saw this story referenced on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert... well done

[@IsEnrique144]

The editing and style of this video is just awesome (great job Keyland)! Really excited to see more content like it. Every few seconds had me in stitches.

[@Capt_Nirox]

Imagine this just actually happened to him, so to cover up he made some details up and sent it to Vice

[@jacksonturner3623]

Bois we gotta make this one go viral now as well

[@hiiamelecktro4985]

Duuuuude, I saw this story EVERYWHERE. I’m dying.

[@swtorjunkie6171]

You're a fucking legend. So long as you don't push fake news about serious issues and stick to outlandish shit like this, I'm all for it.

[@CaseyBusiness]

Lewis, you bloody legend. I remember when everybody was talking about this on Twitter for a couple of days. Can’t wait for the next one.

[@Gunbudder]

fuck, i should have known that story was you! i saw this story organically and just thought it was reporters not understanding how tech works

[@fiend2839]

It did actually happen, this just blew the story up and forced the issue to get fixed.

[@IsaSaien]

@@fiend2839 did you watch the video? No this did not happen

[@schwarz8614]

@@fiend2839 bruh

[@Chioma34F]

@@IsaSaien Lewis literally lies in this video. There were multiple real stories in a Jan 11th article, then Lewis pretended to be another victim and got that interview published. Everything he says about him making it up is complete nonsense.

[@IsaSaien]

@@Chioma34F thats quite the accusation, you need to back that up.

[@gleb4832]

This dude is so underrated. He should get far more attention/viewers honestly this is fucking hilarious

[@Ealon4wow]

Damn, that was even reported by one of the biggest newspapers in switzerland.

[@WeAreFourJokers]

Lewis Spears is back to playing the media. The Earth is healing and normality returns

[@randomgeocacher]

But the the problem with the “fake” story it is a true story... at least the core of it. The problem was real, reported in October 2020. The only thing not true is that it did not happen (to you at least). So basic check would have said it 100% plausible since the security flaw existed and was known unfixed. (I’m so confused, did you design this prank without knowledge of this?) Vice could have been a bit more diligent and required photographic documentation that it actually did happen to you specifically. Or to ask for any copies of e-mails or similar with cellmate or the ransom. But eh, persons are known to subject to these attacks, vendor don’t fix the issue, vice gets an interview with one of the victims... I really understand the journalist publishing the story without more checks. And everyone believes the story not just because it is juicy but the core checks out as valid if you do a bit of research.

[@finnbach2632]

Exactly. It'd be like me going to a news outlet after an actual hurricane to falsely claim my house was destroyed, then when they run my story, I turn around and tell the world that I made up an entire hurricane. I'm honestly pretty annoyed with Lewis here. There's no way he happened to come up with this exact idea right when it also happened for real. He's playing up the situation for attention, or at worst, to make people lose faith in journalists (who mostly reported accurately on this story).

[@peronafanman]

@@finnbach2632 Wait but that hurricane comparison doesn't work well, wouldn't it be something like he made up the story of his house being destroyed rather than the hurricane itself? And for all you know, Lewis coming up with this idea when it happened could entirely be a coincidence, he never mentioned the real incident once. And why should anyone have any sliver faith left in Journalists? Especially considering all the fake news stories and clickbaity and biased articles coming out these days (of course this isn't to deny that these journalists didn't report on the situation well but still).

[@finnbach2632]

@@peronafanman That is what I'm saying with the hurricane analogy. He makes up it destroying his house, media reports on his house story, then he claims to have tricked the media into reporting on a fake hurricane, when all he did is fake his house being destroyed. The odds that Lewis just happened to come up with this exact concept at the same time it happened for real, and at no point during the planning, execution, or editing process realize that it actually happened, is so close to zero it may as well be. If we shouldn't "have any slivers of faith left" in Journalists, why would we have it in KZbinrs who clickbait and lie to promote their comedy show?

[@peronafanman]

@@finnbach2632 About Lewis, he's only really trying to prove a point about how Journalists will report any story no matter how fake it is and as far as I know he's only done it 3 or 4 times where as Journalists have kinda been doing it for years. Still when you put your other points like that, I do agree with you.

[@finnbach2632]

@@peronafanman I don't think its fair to compare one guy doing it 3-4 times to an entire profession of thousands doing it more. Journalists get things wrong sometimes, no doubt. Sometimes they may even twist information to push a narrative. However, that does not excuse Lewis do the exact same thing. Lewis could've proved his point by telling the truth as it happened without sensationalizing it. Instead he chose to lie. It also seems strange that many commenters who claim to be skeptical of media got duped by this video. I guess Lewis just told them what they wanted to hear. That's what good propaganda does. At the end of this, hundreds of thousands of people now believe it is easy to get numerous reputable news sources to run a false story, when in reality it's just one Vice journalist that should've vetted his interviewee better. I hope the all mistrust generated was worth a few extra ticket sales.

[@imjosh4054]

lewis is the irl equivilent of that one guy from afterlife who always wants to get on the news.

[@sam8742]

I remember when this first came out, I believed this was real I think Critikal made a video about it

[@peepeepoopoo-lz7vj]

yeh, he did. I hope Critikal finds out it wasn't real.

[@sam8742]

@@peepeepoopoo-lz7vj ngl it would be pretty funny, go suggest it when he streams

[@tomsbrainhurtsalot]

It was real, the device was hackable - the exploits were revealed late last year. It’s just that Lewis faked his experience of it.

[@unluckygamer692]

@@peepeepoopoo-lz7vj well, he did lol

[@FlintGirl810]

I picture that Lorenzo went to his boss probably even in front of his colleagues screaming ME FIRST! I'VE GOT THE BEST STORY!

[@gogyoq]

I remember reading this story and dying of laughter. It's even better now knowing you fabricated it

[@pradyumnac]

Dude, I saw this on Reddit a couple hours ago and thought, “What the fuck do people do nowadays?” Imagine the self esteem of hacker who targets these devices. Great video!

[@KMO325]

Damn, even John Oliver got fooled.

[@jacobmarchionni6529]

I took screenshots of this and sent it as memes to so many people

[@wetchicken4793]

News websites: hahahaha me embaress you Lewis spears: pulls out uno reverse card News websites: nani

[@madikin]

Lol are you 11

[@Uefi-celes]

omae wa mou shindeiru

[@Aliens2Exist]

reddit

[@user-gc3qj7md8c]

Fantastic stuff brother

[@jambo6683]

I’ve literally been waiting for fake stories like this!!!

[@mechakinggidora]

Holy crap 2 in one month? Are you ok? Is someone making you produce content while holding you hostage!? O_O I'm kidding but glad you're back Lew, love seeing your videos.

[@rusty9705]

#SaveMarinaJoyce !

[@crewie94]

Easy claps, completed it mate. 🤣🤣♥️ Oh the damn outro theme dude, holy shit. I'm definitely keeping my eye out if I ever make it over to the Oz.

[@Amaloltis]

This article went around the globe quite literally, I remember that it was on numerous news-sites here in germany

[@Finkelfunk]

The best part about this? THE STORY IS STILL UP.

[@miriclamier2875]

John Oliver too, shows how much research he usually does on his stories

[@krateproductions4872]

I really miss the days when Vice wrote hard hitting journalism like Sneaking into DPRK, ISIS, etc Those documentaries were raw and uncensored

[@harshvardhansingh7704]

This man has the potential to troll the entire world... This guy is literally the GOD

[@calebpeters191]

i saw this on Apple News last month at work. You are a legend

[@McQ_42]

This is what modern advertising looks like.