A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week.

ClaimThe new COVID-19 variants were named after brain wave frequencies.

The factsBoth virus variants and brain wave frequencies are named using letters from the Greek alphabet. But the names have no connection.As news about the delta COVID-19 variant made headlines, posts online began falsely claiming that the new variants were being named after brain waves or frequencies. Some posts falsely claimed this connection had to do with a secret conspiracy to control humans through technology. For example, posts suggested that one COVID-19 variant was named delta because it largely impacts children, and they claimed that delta is a brain wave specific to children. But delta waves are actually more closely associated with deep sleep.The delta COVID-19 variant was discovered in India and is known for being more transmissible than other variants. But the variant did not get its name as part of a plot to control brains. The delta variant was named after the World Health Organization announced in May it would change its system for labeling COVID-19 variants. The Greek alphabet is often used for naming purposes in math and science, not just for brain waves.

ClaimThe malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, when used with the antibiotic azithromycin, can improve survival by nearly 200% when given to COVID-19 patients on ventilators.

The factsExperts say the small study that this claim is based on proves nothing, and that enough evidence now exists from well-run studies to indicate that hydroxychloroquine is not effective for treating COVID-19.The study in question is being misrepresented online to falsely suggest that top health officials were wrong when they found that hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria, had no benefit as a COVID-19 treatment. The observational study, which has not been vetted by independent scientists, gained attention on social media after it was posted May 31 to Medrxiv, a website that displays medical papers that have not been published.Posts online claimed the study shows that health officials were wrong to discount the benefits of hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19. Several health professionals told The Associated Press that using the new study to tout the benefits of hydroxychloroquine is misleading.“This is a very small study from a single hospital that was observational only,” said Dr. Jaimie Meyer, infectious disease physician at Yale School of Medicine. “The answer to COVID is vaccination, not hydroxychloroquine.”

ClaimPhotos show a boy who, at 11 years old, hacked the computer system of a Swiss bank and transferred $75 billion to his father's account.

The factsThe caption on the photos is incorrect. An AP photo dated May 20, 2009, matches one of the images in the post. Its caption explained the handcuffed suspect, who was 14 at the time, was appearing in court in Caldwell, Idaho, on a charge of first degree murder for killing his father. He was charged as an adult. Photos shared more than a thousand times on Facebook on Tuesday showed the boy in a courtroom in a yellow jumpsuit and handcuffs. “At 11, he hacked the computer system of a Swiss bank and transferred $75 billion to his father's account,” said a caption with the post. Commenters on the post reacted to the false claim, calling him a “genius” who should be recruited by NASA. However, a reverse-image search reveals the boy was in court for allegedly killing his father.

ClaimThe FBI headquarters building in Washington is completely closed, empty and walled off.

The factsA video spreading the false claim shows the back of the building rather than the main entrance, which was open and fully operational this week, according to the FBI. The 30-second video, posted Monday on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, shows a view of the FBI headquarters, also known as the J. Edgar Hoover Building, from E Street NW in Washington. A narrator identifies the date as June 14, then claims the building is “completely closed.” The bogus claim spread to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit and other platforms, with users speculating that the government is shutting down buildings in preparation for some kind of large-scale event or attack. According to the FBI, there's no evidence this is the case.