What began as a hoax on Facebook, quickly became cause for concern to U.S authorities. The storm Area 51 event on Facebook was RSVP’d to by more than a million people, but those who signed up to attend the event were quickly given a cold warning from the U.S Air Force.
A spokeswoman for the United States Air Force has told The Washington Post that it is “ready to protect America and its assets”. This of course a threat to anybody thinking about taking the event more seriously.
The original creator of the event, Matty Roberts, was worried he would become a target for the FBI, and receive a visit. Matty Roberts said, “I was just like, the FBI’s going to show up at my house and it got a little spooky from there.”
People widely believe Alien lifeforms are being kept hidden away in the base. Area 51 was only formerly recognized in 2013, and has become a central location and hot spot for UFO activity.
The storm Area 51 event which went viral in such a short amount of time, has now lead to more hoaxes of the same concept.
Storm Loch Ness now has over 25,000 people vowing to participate, in search of the mythical Loch Ness Monster. You’re highly unlikely to be shot down storming Loch Ness, but the RNLI has cautioned people, saying the Loch is 230 metres deep and poses a real risk of cold water shock and hypothermia.
Another event popped up which invites people to storm Bermuda Triangle, with the comment “It can’t swallow us all”. More than 18,000 people signed up for the event, and a further 20,000 people expressed their interest in going.
The joke is over for many though, with more events being put on Facebook, which are no longer gaining the same traction. Just 73 people have signed up to storm the mysterious Paulding Light, in Paulding, Michigan.
Though these events are widely known to be hoaxes and are quite amusing, they are still monitored, and are being taken seriously by authorities.