Washington

IF YOU are a chain letter hoax, then heaven is for real and it is Facebook. The site has hosted an army of copyright and giveaway hoaxes in recent years with a fury not seen since the heydays of the e-mailed chain letter.

And now, the social network is trying, and failing, to shake off a month- long, false viral post claiming that anyone who shares it will win part of the social network founder's fortune.