False: McDonald’s won’t provide free meals to customers who say “I am your father” on Father’s Day

By Joshua Lee and Stephanie Chan

An image circulating on social media in Hong Kong claims McDonald’s will offer a free meal to customers who say “I am your father” when ordering food on Father’s Day.

The post has been shared at least 59 times and gained 1,500 reactions on the popular Facebook group “香港突發事故報料區” (Hong Kong Incidents Reporting Area). It also became popular in other groups (also here).

The claim is false. A spokesperson for McDonald’s Hong Kong confirmed with Annie Lab in an email that local branches of the hamburger chain are not offering such a promotion.

The image also shows the wrong date. This year Father’s Day in Hong Kong is June 21, but the text says June 17. The last time Father’s Day was on June 17 was in 2018. The same image was shared on the forum LIHKG with the same text at that time.

This hoax is not new. Similar images with the same false claim circulated on local social media in 2017 as well. In June 2017, an image of McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald was circulated on local social media, including LIHKG.

It claimed men over the age of 21 who say “I am your father” on Father’s Day at McDonald’s were entitled to a free meal. Local newspaper the Oriental Daily debunked the rumor.

Disclaimer: This is a student work. Although JMSC faculty members have done everything possible to verify its accuracy, we cannot guarantee there are no mistakes. If you notice an error or have any questions, please email us at contact@annieasia.org