Black Friday Ad Hoaxes

Black Friday ads have bargain hunters in a tizzy this week, but it was a Circuit City, Future and Best Buy hoax that ruffled the most feathers.

A viral email falsely stated that Future Shop and Best Buy are owned by Circuit City (which filed for bankruptcy a few weeks ago) and that gift cards for both stores are no longer valid.

Future Shop and Best Buy both issued statements that the claims were false and affirmed that the gift certificates are still valid and will "never expire." They also confirmed they are not owned by Circuit City.

Black Friday ads have received a lot of buzz this year due to the recession. Since money is a sensitive subject for a lot of people this holiday, it’s no surprise an email prank like this one has the power to cause such a stir. What a cruel way to take advantage of emotion.

Check out some more Black Friday features below.