Fact Check: The Louvre Thieves Photos Going Viral Are Totally Fake

Across social media, posts claiming to show photos of the “Louvre suspects” have gone viral.

Guess what? They’re completely fake.

One widely shared post even included Gossip Girl heartthrob Chace Crawford’s 2010 mugshot—yes, really. Next to him was a photo of a brown-haired, blue-eyed man who has since come forward to clear things up.

That man, Stefan Dolbashian, took to social media to say he’s not a Louvre thief—just a guy whose old picture got swept up in internet chaos.

Dolbashian told TODAY.com he first learned about the viral rumor when a friend sent him a screenshot of the Facebook post making the rounds.

“The original incident for me was so long ago that I now only laugh when I see the picture,” he said. “I’ve seen some hilariously creative posts about this, and some really just make my wife and I cackle out loud on the couch together.”

The takeaway? Be careful what you believe online—even if you think you’ve seen it with your own eyes.