Exxon sign says drivers “must show proof of a job for gas purchase.”
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No, this isn’t a real Exxon gas station sign
Gasoline shortages are affecting some gas stations around the country and social media users are sharing what looks like an Exxon sign limiting who can pull up to a pump.
"Must show proof of a job for gas purchase," the sign says. But it’s not real, and posts sharing it were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
If you do a reverse image search for the sign you’ll find nearly identical images with one big difference — the text on the sign changes picture to picture, but the background doesn’t. The same cars are idling in the parking lot.
That’s because anyone can punch in the text they want to appear on the sign at a website that lets you "make your own gas station sign."
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Facebook post, May 12, 2021
PolitiFact gas station sign, created May 13, 2021
Make your own gas station sign, visited May 13, 2021
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No, this isn’t a real Exxon gas station sign
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