A man is currently saying he is shipwrecked on an island off the coast of Argentina – but how true are his claims?
On 14 October, rumours began to swirl after a man named William Banks shared a video saying he and a group of friends were stranded on an island after attempting to reach the South American country by sea.
Early clips showed Banks waking up ashore wearing a life jacket and boxing gloves before shouting, 'I'm lost on an island' into the camera. Moments later, a friend of his grabs the camera before Banks adds: "If you can see this video, we are lost on an island and we don't know where we are."
Fortunately, the content creator has been able to access the internet since he became 'shipwrecked', posting the video and changing his Instagram bio to the following: "I am lost on an island off the coast of Argentina, please rescue me and my friends -35.70544° S, 51.53172° W."
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His social media handles then begin uploading videos fairly regularly, showing the US comedian in 'island survival mode' as he drinks out of streams and tries to build a shelter.
Since then, the videos have become increasingly elaborate and outlandish, with Banks being 'banished' by his fellow campmates and the group finding a conveniently placed treasure map.
So what's going on – is Banks actually stranded on an island, or is it all part of an elaborate prank?
Is William Banks actually trapped on a desert island?
Now, when you search the coordinates listed in Banks's social media bios, it takes you to a spot not far off the coast of Uruguay, close to the nation's territorial waters.
Which, to the casual observer, certainly adds legitimacy to his story, especially if you'd never heard of a bloke called William Banks before.
Dig a little deeper into his story, however, and many red flags jump out.
As well as a comedian, Banks is also a method actor and amateur boxer with a fight scheduled in Buenos Aires on 20 December.
So, going viral a month before would be the perfect way to promote the bout.
Banks also has experience when it comes to pulling off elaborate stunts online, with the content creator previously masterminding a series which saw him 'jailed' for several months over five counts of larceny (theft), which culminated in him 'escaping' from prison.
While the charges against him would eventually turn out to be true, the sentence was not, as it was later revealed that Banks had actually filmed the whole thing with a production called Backstage.
According to The New Yorker Magazine, Banks said his charge was wiped from his record after he agreed to a plan involving 200 hours of community service, as well as two years of probation.
There's also the fact that he and the group are managing to post online over a month after being supposedly shipwrecked, which you'd imagine would be impossible on an island with no electricity or signal.
So while his videos are certainly entertaining, I'd imagine it's very unlikely the group are actually stuck on a remote island.
Nice try, though.
Brenna Cooper