This App Pays You for Reading Fake News — I Couldn’t Believe It 📰💵

t started as a joke.

A friend sent me a link with the caption: “Get paid for reading fake news — you’ll either get rich or lose your sanity.” I thought it was clickbait. But 48 hours later, I had actually earned real money… by scrolling through articles so bizarre they made tabloid headlines look like academic research papers.

Yes, this app literally pays you to read fake news. And no — it’s not satire, not an April Fools prank, and definitely not your average “earn money by watching ads” scheme. I signed up expecting nothing. What I got was a mix of absurd entertainment, psychological experiments, and surprisingly steady cash flow.

How I Discovered the App

It’s not easy to impress me with “make money online” claims anymore. I’ve tried everything — from answering surveys about toothpaste flavors to pretending I was an old man for a voice app. But when I saw the tagline “Get Paid for Reading the News That Isn’t Real”, I froze.

Why would anyone pay for fake news consumption?

Turns out, the app — which I’ll call FauxFeed (real name hidden to avoid mass signups before you finish reading this) — runs on an unusual business model.

The Bizarre Business Model

Here’s how the founders explained it in their FAQ:

Fake News is Cheaper to Produce Than Real News
They don’t need to hire investigative journalists. A creative AI system generates all the content, mixing outrageous headlines with half-believable details.
Ad Revenue from “Engagement”
People love reacting to ridiculous news. The angrier or more entertained you get, the longer you stay on the app, the more ads you see, the more money the company earns.
Data Collection
The app tracks what kind of fake news makes you click faster — conspiracy, celebrity drama, or bizarre science. That data, apparently, is valuable to marketing firms studying human curiosity.
The Incentive Loop
The more fake news you read, the more “time credits” you collect. Those credits turn into real money or gift cards.

My First Hour in the App

When I opened FauxFeed, I was hit with the first headline:

“Scientists Reveal Cats Are Secretly Running a Shadow Government.”

I laughed, rolled my eyes, and scrolled. Next headline:

“Local Man Claims to Have Invented a Sandwich That Sings.”

Within minutes, I was hooked. The stories were written just convincingly enough to make you almost wonder if they could be true. I read ten articles before realizing — I was earning 3¢ per story. That’s 30¢ in less than 10 minutes.

The Payment System — Surprisingly Legit

The skeptic in me was waiting for the catch. Usually, “read and earn” apps pay in coins you can never actually withdraw. But here, there was a clear cash-out button. Minimum withdrawal: $5.

I tested it on Day 2 after earning $7.40. Within 24 hours, I had PayPal confirmation. It wasn’t life-changing money, but the fact it was real made everything 10 times funnier.

Why Would People Read Fake News for Money?

Let’s be honest: fake news is addictive. The difference here is that you know it’s fake. You’re in on the joke. That makes it safe entertainment. No one’s trying to mislead you politically — it’s just absurd, fictional “reporting” with a paycheck attached.

Some headlines I encountered:

“Woman Marries a Burrito, Claims It Understands Her.”
“NASA Accidentally Launches a Cow Into Orbit.”
“Scientists Say Laughing at Ducks May Boost Lifespan.”

You can’t read these without at least cracking a smile.

The Psychological Hook

FauxFeed works because it hijacks two human instincts:

Curiosity for the Unbelievable
We need to click on outrageous headlines — even if we know they’re fake.
Reward for Completion
Each article you finish pays you a small amount, which makes you keep reading “just one more.”

It’s gamification at its finest.

The “Challenges” Feature

Here’s where things got even stranger. FauxFeed introduced daily challenges:

Read 5 political conspiracy stories
Find 3 stories about animals doing human jobs
React to a celebrity scandal with an emoji

Completing challenges earned bonus payouts. My highest was $2 in a single day just from finding three “fake alien interviews” in the feed.

Could This Be Dangerous?

You might think: “Isn’t reading fake news bad for the brain?” Normally, yes. But because the app openly admits everything is fictional, it becomes harmless parody. In fact, it’s more like reading The Onion — except you get paid.

That said, I noticed something strange after a week. I started expecting my daily dose of nonsense. Real news began to feel… boring. That’s when I realized the app was rewiring my entertainment habits.

Earnings Breakdown: My First Week

Here’s how it went:

Day 1: $1.20 (just testing)
Day 2: $7.40 (cashed out to check legitimacy)
Day 3: $3.10 (slow day)
Day 4: $6.25
Day 5: $4.80
Day 6: $8.15 (challenge bonuses)
Day 7: $5.95

Total: $36.85 for doing nothing but reading ridiculous articles in my pajamas.

The Community Element

FauxFeed also has a comment section. Readers try to “out-fake” the fake news by posting even crazier responses. Under an article about a giant hamster spotted in New York, someone wrote:

“I saw him. He borrowed my metro card.”

The interaction keeps you scrolling for hours.

The Downside

As fun as it is, there are some drawbacks:

Time Sink — It’s easy to lose track of hours.
Low Pay for Heavy Readers — After the first 50 articles per day, the pay rate drops.
Possible Ad Overload — Some ads are repetitive or annoying.

Still, compared to mindless social media scrolling, this at least pays you back.

My Weirdest Fake News Day

One Saturday, I decided to spend the whole day on FauxFeed. In 12 hours, I earned $19. But my brain… wow. I read about:

Penguins forming a jazz band.
A time traveler suing himself.
A chef who only cooks while skydiving.

By the end, I felt like I had binge-watched the world’s strangest TV series.

Why This Could Be the Future of Paid Entertainment

Think about it: streaming services charge you to watch scripted shows. FauxFeed flips the model — it pays you to consume scripted nonsense. As attention becomes a currency, more apps might adopt this reverse-payment idea.

Imagine:

Get paid to watch bad movies.
Get paid to read fictional gossip.
Get paid to listen to absurd podcasts.

The possibilities are endless.

My Advice If You Try It

Set a Time Limit — Don’t let it replace your actual reading.
Treat It Like a Game — The money is a bonus, not a full income.
Enjoy the Absurdity — The best part is laughing at how wild human imagination can get.

My Final Verdict

I started as a skeptic. I ended as someone who willingly reads a fake article about “Scientists Discover Plants Can Hold Grudges” for 5¢. The app works, it pays, and it’s fun — just don’t expect to retire on it.

✅ Sources

Written by the author, Fatima Al-Hajri 👩🏻‍💻