Viral ‘Vaccine Bandits’ TikTok warning is faux — however individuals fell for it

Apparently, the primary symptom of being an anti-vaxxer is not any humorousness.

In case you thought anti-vaccine hysteria wasn’t on the rise, a TikTok comedian launched a video parody claiming that Californians are being injected with a coronavirus vaccine in opposition to their will — and scores of individuals apparently believed it.

The coronaviral clip presently boasts greater than 6 million views on the app.

“I don’t ever attempt to assert my movies as reality,” US filmmaker Grey Fagan — who goes by @graysworld on TikTok — informed the Each day Dot of the “deliberately ridiculous” clip.

Within the spoof, uploaded Tuesday, Fagan reveals an alleged information article with the inflammatory headline ” ‘Vaccine Bandits’ take over Los Angeles Streets.” Afterward, the footage cuts to a purported surveillance video of a person in black forcing a girl to take a COVID-19 jab in broad daylight.

“So apparently what these guys do is that they stroll as much as you on the road, and so they ask if you happen to’re vaccinated — and if you happen to hesitate in any respect, they inject you with a vaccine proper on the spot,” the videographer says whereas straining to maintain a straight face. “After which they, like, throw a vaccine card at you after they inject you, and it says, like ‘Hollywood Boulevard’ or wherever you bought injected, and so they even go away it clean, so you may fill in your title.”

The fake doomsayer — whose TikTok profile reads “welcome to ~scripted~ chaos” — concludes the BS-A by insisting that the “vaccine bandits” even go away letters on the houses of the unwilling shot recipients, telling them that they’ll discover them two weeks later when it’s time for his or her follow-up jab.

“Why is nobody else speaking about this?” Fagan questions, earlier than inquiring if any commenters are conscious of this “subsequent stage” phenomenon.

The TikTok troll has since confirmed that the outlandish video is faux.

“Every particular person video is purposely designed to ‘look’ and ‘really feel’ actual, all of the whereas rising progressively increasingly outlandish, which therein lies the joke,” explains Fagan.

He provides that “if the viewer fails to do any additional inspection from there, it’s on them.”

And when customers click on on the “vaccine bandits” article that seems on Fagan’s TikTok hyperlinks web page, they get redirected to Rick Astley’s “By no means Gonna Give You Up” music video on YouTube — in any other case often called a “Rickroll.”

Regardless of Fagan’s admission — to not point out the overtly ridiculous clip — scores of web conspiracists swallowed the not-so-deep-fake warning hook, line and sinker.

“Do individuals truly suppose this okay,” stated one gullible commenter. “Sooooo unlawful.”

“I’m provaccine however that is truly terrifying. Violent and violating,” wrote one other in a remark with greater than 40,000 likes.

One bandit believer known as the drive-by shot-tings “harmful,” because the sufferers might have medicine allergy symptoms or a worry of needles.

“That is humorous and so scary on the similar time,” gasped one bozo. “I hope it’s truly the vaccine and never one thing else.”

The hysteria then metastasized to Twitter, with one impressionable user writing that “apparently in LA there’s a gaggle known as ‘VACCINE BANDITS’ and so they’re working round asking individuals in the event that they’re vaccinated and if they are saying no they vaccinate them on the spot in opposition to their will and throw a card at them too even say see you in two weeks.”

Goodmorning, apparently in LA there’s a gaggle known as “VACCINE BANDITS” and so they’re working round asking individuals in the event that they’re vaccinated and if they are saying no they vaccinate them on the spot in opposition to their will and throw a card at them too 😂 even say see you in two weeks

— Frosty 💭 (@TacticalFrosty) August 10, 2021

The clip may give viewers chuckle. Nonetheless, their gullibility is maybe additionally troubling provided that anti-vaccine views — seemingly as soon as on par with flat-Earthers and Bigfoot believers — have turn into extra mainstream through the coronavirus pandemic.

In latest months, the COVID inoculation has been denounced by celebrities from rock star Eric Clapton to late shock jock Dick Farrel, the latter solely altering his stance after getting being hospitalized with the illness, which he later died from.

In the meantime, simply final week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tried to impose a regulation prohibiting cruise ships — which had been main hotbeds of coronavirus contagion early within the pandemic — from requiring passengers to offer proof of vaccination. Nonetheless, he was overruled by US District Choose Kathleen Williams, who granted the cruise line’s request for a preliminary injunction.