Fake Smelly Indian Lawsuit by Vaibhav Bedi Passes Off As Real News

11/6/09

A story was posted October 19 on FakingNews.com that stated a young man was suing the company that produces Axe deodorant because he has not been able to get a girlfriend for seven years despite using their product.

His claim is false advertising because women were throwing themselves after him like they show in the television.

This came from Faking News:

“Where ... is the Axe effect? I’ve been waiting for it for over seven years. Right from my college to now in my office, no girl ever agreed to even go out for a tea or coffee with me, even though I’m sure they could smell my perfumes, deodorants and aftershaves. I always applied them in abundance to make sure the girls get turned on as they show in the television. Finally I thought I’d try to impress my lonely bai who had an ugly fight with her husband and was living alone for over a year. Axe effect my foot!” Vaibhav expressed his unhappiness.

It went viral among major news stories.

The Australian published a story but has since removed it. But proof that it existed is here in an article by the National Post.

This is what they wrote.

The Australian reports on a lawsuit against Unilever, maker of Axe deodorant.  An Indian man who, despite using Unilever's "Lynx" deodorant for seven years, is still single and is claiming more thant $100,000 for depression and psychological damage. Apparently Vaibhav Bev believed that TV commercials where women threw themselves at men wearing Lynx deodorant, were real. I'd like to see what he thinks of the Axe chocolate man commercial. 

It was soon picked up by major news sources around the world, including the United States.

Here in an article by the New York Post, they titled it "Weird but true".

True?

One lesson here folks. Don't believe everything you read from the internet. But second, has the world gone so mad and ripe with frivolous lawsuits that a man suing a company for not having a girlfriend is so believable? What kind of a world do we live in that this is something that comes across as being so real and believable instead of being suspicious and crazy?

Generally speaking, average Joes always have a motive of trying to make money. But lawyers should have a bit more ethics on their plate before taking cases like these. So the next time a story comes our way of such a ridiculous lawsuit, we don't believe it right away.