A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.

Nine of the 11 AI numbers that failed our check gave it away on the page the AI linked. A second AI flagged most of the ones that traced, too.

Claims: 68
Verified at the primary source: 57
Removed before publication: 0
Last checked: 11 Nov 2026

68 claims: 57 verified, 10 executed, 1 reported.

Download this ledger: CSV · JSON · Markdown · CC BY 4.0 · Query it from Claude or ChatGPT

What the essay claims

Before: "AI makes numbers up. If it gives me a link and the number is on the page, it's fine. If I'm unsure, I ask another AI to fact-check it."

After: "Invented numbers exist and do reach real reports, and the one question that catches them is who counted it. But the slip I'll actually meet is a real number that moved. It ends up in the wrong year, the wrong group, the wrong question, or behind the wrong link. I can usually see the slip on the source page if I read the sentence. A second AI's verdict says no to most good numbers too, so it can't be my check."

The claim ladder

#	Claim	Evidence	Whose behaviour it measures	What it does not reach
1	One person invented 50,000 statistics in a day for about $50. Google dropped the site; ChatGPT kept opening its pages (about 72,000 times in 30 days, by his count).	Yesilyurt (Peec), read 2026-11-08	ChatGPT's retrieval of one site	How often readers meet such sites
2	A journal article lists the site's page among its references, and, by his account, a Qatari bank's market report quoted it.	Crossref reference list of Sun & Xu 2026 (verified); QNB report from his screenshot (not re-read by us)	Downstream citers	How many uncredited copies exist
3	Across 1,285 statistics from five assistants, the cited page had the number 82% of the time, but 40% of trails reached a study that said the same.	Trakkr 013	ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, AI Overviews; 200 questions	Our question type; it is a vendor study judged by a model, with 150 trails checked by hand
4	In our test, 25 of 39 slide statistics traced to whoever counted them; no answer cited stateglobe.	Our results, H1 (methods page)	Two assistants, via their developer tools, on 20 slide questions	The consumer apps; a ranking of the two
5	Most of the failures were visible on the cited page: the wrong year, group, measure or definition, or a link that didn't show the number.	Our results: the 14 that didn't trace (methods page)	Same	A rate for the whole web
6	Asked to fact-check, the other assistant flagged all 11 bad statistics and 17 of 25 good ones.	Our results, H3 (methods page)	Same two assistants, cross-checking	Other prompts; other models

What would make it wrong

If a larger test finds that a second AI's fact-check flags at least 70% of bad statistics, and flags good ones at no more than half that rate, then the piece's advice on fact-checking is wrong.

If most AI-supplied statistics that fail do so in ways the cited page can't show (no drift visible), then "check the cited page first" is the wrong lead step.

On the track record, not yet testable2 untestedThe re-check

The evidence, row by row

Each row is a claim the essay makes, then the evidence recorded for it and the source it was checked against. For verified rows that is usually the exact words, where they sit and the day they were read. The label says how far it was checked.

What the labels mean

Verified: Checked against the primary source itself by a checker who did not draft the piece, usually with the exact words, where they sit and the date read.
Executed: A run or observation done for the piece: code, a query, a count, or a check made live in an app. The claim is what it returned. Run records are not published.
Checked: Checked against its source by a separate checker in the older ledger format, which recorded no quote, locator or date.
Reported: Not verified word for word against a primary source: carried from a secondary source, from one that could not be opened in full, or supported only in part. The essay words it accordingly.
Struck: Drafted, checked and removed before publication. Kept here, crossed out, with the reason.
Excluded: Considered and deliberately left out of the piece. Kept here with the reason.

Sources (26)

Yesilyurt 18 rows
Trakkr Research Study 013 1 row
Trakkr 013 7 rows
Mike Caulfield 1 row
Demand Gen Report 2 rows
Sun & Xu 2 rows
QNB Financial Services 1 row
Our test: the scoring script 9 rows
Our test: tally of the model_version field in the 40 published answers 1 row
NFG / Fakturatka.pl 2 rows
Crossref record for 10.3390/jtaer21080259 1 row
StateGlobe China page 4 rows
Our test: the second AI's fact-check replies 1 row
Peec AI blog page 1 row
Search of the archived 2014 page's text 1 row
Our test: the question template 1 row
Our test: the fact-check prompt 2 rows
Our pre-registered plan 2 rows
Our results 2 rows
Our test: the author's ten-call audit 1 row
Our test: the plan's lock time 1 row
Our test: the answers as extracted 2 rows
Peec AI site navigation 1 row
Trakkr site navigation 1 row
Our test: the collection script 2 rows
XYZ.pl 1 row

S01 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

One person built a site of 50,000 statistics, every one invented.

"About 7 months ago, I launched a website with 50,000 statistics. Every one of them was fake."

Yesilyurt, Peec AI blog, 7 Oct 2026 · Intro · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt, Peec AI blog, 7 Oct 2026, Intro, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S01, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S01 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S02 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

He generated them in a single day with GPT-4.1.

"generated 50,000 statistics pages in a single day with GPT-4.1"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § The setup · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § The setup, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S02, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S02 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S03 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

He never checked a single number.

"I never checked a single one."

Yesilyurt 2026 · § The setup · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § The setup, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S03, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S03 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S04 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The whole thing cost about $50.

"this is an experiment that came in at the very low price of about $50"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § The setup · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § The setup, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S04, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S04 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S05 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Google dropped the site; ChatGPT did not.

"Google has forgotten the site exists and deindexed the pages, but ChatGPT hasn't."

Yesilyurt 2026 · Intro · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, Intro, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S05, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S05 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S05b Verified Read 9 Nov 2026

Google buried the site; a few pages stayed indexed with almost no impressions.

"Google buried the site almost immediately" … "Indexed pages bounce between 5 and 20 impressions."

Yesilyurt 2026 · § What happened (heading) and its first paragraphs · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § What happened (heading) and its first paragraphs, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S05b, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S05b (source read 2026-11-09).

Report an error
S06 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

In the last 30 days, about 72,000 requests came from ChatGPT's live-answer agent.

"In the last 30 days alone, the site got more than 600,000 requests from bots. Around 72,000 of them came from ChatGPT-User."

Yesilyurt 2026 · § Google buried the site · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § Google buried the site, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S06, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S06 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S07 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Those are ChatGPT opening a page to answer a real question, not training crawls.

"So these are not training crawls. Each one is ChatGPT fetching a fake statistics page to answer a real question."

Yesilyurt 2026 · § Google buried the site · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § Google buried the site, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S07, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S07 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S08 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

ChatGPT has sent the site 10,000+ visits since March, by his analytics.

"Since March, GA4 shows 10,000+ sessions from ChatGPT alone"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § After 7 months · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § After 7 months, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S08, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S08 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S10 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

On 7 Oct it ranked second for visibility on his tracked prompts, behind only Statista.

"ranked second for visibility on these prompts, behind only data powerhouse Statista"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § After 7 months · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § After 7 months, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S10, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S10 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S11 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Its numbers were used in investment research by Qatar's largest financial group (his account).

"used in investment research by Qatar's largest financial group"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § Fake data turned into real citations · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § Fake data turned into real citations, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S11, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S11 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
T01 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Trakkr asked five assistants for statistics and traced 1,285 of them.

"We asked five AI assistants for statistics and followed 1,285 of them back to where they came from."

Trakkr Research Study 013, Mack Grenfell, 28 Oct 2026 · Header · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr Research Study 013, Mack Grenfell, 28 Oct 2026, Header, https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T01, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T01 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
T02 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

40% reached a study that says the same thing; 8% reached the study but the number or context had changed.

"40% reached a study that says the same thing. Another 8% reached the study, but the number or its context had changed on the way."

Trakkr 013 · § 2 · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr 013, § 2, https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T02, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T02 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
T03 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

40% stopped at a source they couldn't check; 11% led nowhere.

"40% stopped at a source we couldn’t check, because it was locked, gone or silent on the number, and 11% led nowhere at all."

Trakkr 013 · § 2 · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr 013, § 2, https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T03, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T03 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
T04 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The cited page had the figure 82% of the time.

"The page it cited had the figure 82% of the time."

Trakkr 013 · § 3 · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr 013, § 3, https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T04, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T04 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
T06 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

'94% of first impressions are design-related' traces to a 2004 study of 15 British women judging health websites.

"A 2004 study watched 15 British women judge health websites, and 94% of their comments about rejecting a site were about design."

Trakkr 013 · ch. 4 'How numbers change' · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr 013, ch. 4 'How numbers change', https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T06, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T06 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
T07 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Trakkr's trails were judged by an AI model, with people re-checking 150.

"An AI model judged every trail, and a stronger one re-judged 300. Then people re-checked 150 trails at random"

Trakkr 013 · Note 3 · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr 013, Note 3, https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T07, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T07 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
C01 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

SIFT's fourth move: trace claims back to the original context.

"Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original context"

Mike Caulfield, Hapgood, 19 Jun 2019 · Heading of move 4 · hapgood.us

Link

Cite

Mike Caulfield, Hapgood, 19 Jun 2019, Heading of move 4, https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row C01, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-C01 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D08 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The page cited for the blog-reading figure is Demand Gen Report's 2014 survey write-up.

"Demand Gen Report’s 2014 Content Preferences Survey, which polled more than 100 B2B buyers"

Demand Gen Report (archived) · Body · web.archive.org

Link

Cite

Demand Gen Report (archived), Body, https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://www.demandgenreport.com/industry-news/b2b-content-preferences-survey-buyers-want-short-visual-mobile-optimized-content/22396/. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D08, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D08 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
M01 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

A journal article lists StateGlobe's page among its references.

"StateGlobe (2026, March 02). Live Streaming Growth and Video Marketing Statistics in China."

Sun & Xu, J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 21(8):259, 5 Aug 2026 (Crossref reference list) · reference list · api.crossref.org

Link

Cite

Sun & Xu, J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 21(8):259, 5 Aug 2026 (Crossref reference list), reference list, https://api.crossref.org/works/10.3390/jtaer21080259. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row M01, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-M01 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
M01b Verified Read 9 Nov 2026

The journal's printed reference names StateGlobe's page by title and says its authors accessed it on 2 March 2026; it gives no publication date for the page beyond the year. (The Crossref listing renders the same reference as metadata, not as the article's printed text.)

"StateGlobe. Live Streaming Growth and Video Marketing Statistics in China. 2026. Available online: https://data.stateglobe.com/china/live-streaming-growth-statistics (accessed on 2 March 2026)."

Sun & Xu, J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 21(8):259 (published article page, MDPI) · References, item 8 · mdpi.com

Link

Cite

Sun & Xu, J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 21(8):259 (published article page, MDPI), References, item 8, https://www.mdpi.com/0718-1876/21/8/259. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row M01b, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-M01b (source read 2026-11-09).

Report an error
Q01 Reported Read 8 Nov 2026

By Yesilyurt's account (his screenshot), a market report from Qatar's largest financial group quoted StateGlobe: 'as much as 68%' of e-commerce orders delivered the same day.

"According to StateGlobe, as much as 68% of e-commerce orders are delivered within the same day"

QNB Financial Services, Daily Market Report, 10 May 2026, p.4 — seen only in Yesilyurt's screenshot (URL visible); live PDF behind Cloudflare, not re-read by us · p.4 (screenshot) · qnb.com

Link

Cite

QNB Financial Services, Daily Market Report, 10 May 2026, p.4 — seen only in Yesilyurt's screenshot (URL visible); live PDF behind Cloudflare, not re-read by us, p.4 (screenshot), https://www.qnb.com/sites/qnb/qnbfs/document/en/enDMR10May2026. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row Q01, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-Q01 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O01 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

In our pre-registered test, 25 of 39 slide statistics traced to whoever counted them.

Result: "H1 TRACED: 25/39 (64%, 95% CI 48–77%)"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O01, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O01 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O04 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

Asked to fact-check, the other assistant flagged all 11 bad statistics and 17 of 25 good ones.

Result: "H3 flags BAD 11/11 (100%, 95% CI 74–100%) · GOOD 17/25 (68%, 95% CI 48–83%)"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O04, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O04 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O05 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

No answer's trail ran through stateglobe.

Result: "stateglobe in trail: 0"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O05, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O05 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O07 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

The two independent traces agree on 37 of 40.

Result: "trace-vs-trace agreement: 37/40"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O07, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O07 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O08 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The answers were recorded as claude-sonnet-5-5 (with claude-haiku-5-5 also listed) and gpt-5.6-sol; 20 answers each.

"model versions Counter({'claude-sonnet-5-5,claude-haiku-5-5': 20, 'gpt-5.6-sol': 20})"

Our test: tally of the model_version field in the 40 published answers · model_version field · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: tally of the model_version field in the 40 published answers, model_version field, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/answers.jsonl. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O08, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O08 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D12 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The Polish SEO figure was asked only of the 206 firms that advertise regularly.

"N=206 FILTR: pytanie dla osób z firm prowadzących regularne działania reklamowe"

NFG / Fakturatka.pl, 'Marketing w skali mikro' (IMAS International), chart 'Działania vs skuteczność' · chart footnote (image, read by the author) · nfg.pl

Link

Cite

NFG / Fakturatka.pl, 'Marketing w skali mikro' (IMAS International), chart 'Działania vs skuteczność', chart footnote (image, read by the author), https://nfg.pl/getattachment/5629e151-abba-423b-8f9e-d8c74d274986/działania-reklamy-vs-skutecznosc.jpg.aspx. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D12, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D12 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D13 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The 71% blog figure is real: it is in Demand Gen Report's 2018 survey report.

"Blog posts were cited as one of the most consumed content formats, with 71% of respondents stating they reviewed a blog while on their buying journey."

Demand Gen Report, 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report (PDF) · PDF body · e61c88871f1fbaa6388d-c1e3bb10b0333d7ff7aa972d61f8c669.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com

Link

Cite

Demand Gen Report, 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report (PDF), PDF body, https://e61c88871f1fbaa6388d-c1e3bb10b0333d7ff7aa972d61f8c669.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/DGR_DG076_SURV_ContentPref_March_2018_Final.pdf. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D13, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D13 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O09 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

Of the 14 statistics that did not trace, 9 failed on the page the AI linked to: the number was not there, or it described something else.

Result: "not traced: 14 · of which failed on the cited page itself (not on page or mismatch): 9"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O09, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O09 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S14 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The fake site's numbers covered SEO, content marketing, social media, e-commerce and web technology, for 200 countries.

"The site purports to provide stats on SEO, content marketing, social media, e-commerce, and web technology from 200 countries."

Yesilyurt 2026 · § The setup · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § The setup, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S14, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S14 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S15 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

He started building it in March 2026.

"In March 2026, I started working on building the site"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § Where the idea came from · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § Where the idea came from, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S15, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S15 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
M02 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The journal article is about live-stream e-commerce.

"From Traffic-Channeling Gateway to Versatile Bargaining Ability: Strategic Channel Governance and Sustainable Cooperation in Live Stream E-Commerce"

Crossref record for 10.3390/jtaer21080259 · title · doi.org

Link

Cite

Crossref record for 10.3390/jtaer21080259, title, https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer21080259. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row M02, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-M02 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
T08 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

In Trakkr's 'nowhere' trails, every page repeats the number and credits no one.

"Every page repeats the number and credits no one."

Trakkr 013 · § 2 chart legend · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr 013, § 2 chart legend, https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T08, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T08 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
T09 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The five assistants Trakkr asked were ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google's AI Overviews.

"We asked ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google’s AI Overviews 200 questions that call for a number"

Trakkr 013 · § 1 · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr 013, § 1, https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T09, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T09 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O10 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

Three named a counter whose original the tracers could not open, and one could not be judged.

Result: "classes: {'TRACED': 25, 'MISMATCH': 4, 'COUNTER NAMED, NOT REACHED': 3, 'NOT ON PAGE': 6, 'VOID-CASE': 1, 'DEAD END': 1}"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O10, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O10 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D20 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The same page claims 650 million active live-stream viewers.

"650 million Number of active live stream viewers"

StateGlobe China page · Page body · data.stateglobe.com

Link

Cite

StateGlobe China page, Page body, https://data.stateglobe.com/china/live-streaming-growth-statistics. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D20, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D20 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
X03 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Asked to fact-check the 71% blog figure, the second AI linked the 2018 report where the figure sits.

"Demand Gen Report’s actual 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report says 71% of respondents consumed blog content during the purchase process."

Our test: the second AI's fact-check replies, published on the methods page · label A25, field text · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the second AI's fact-check replies, published on the methods page, label A25, field text, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/factcheck.jsonl. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row X03, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-X03 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S16 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

He later added 15,000 listicles; the whole experiment cost about $50.

"Later, I added 15,000 listicles on top of the statistics. That was about $20 more, so all in all, this is an experiment that came in at the very low price of about $50."

Yesilyurt 2026 · § The setup · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § The setup, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S16, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S16 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S17 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

His write-up was published on 7 October 2026.

""datePublished":"2026-10-07T00:00:00.000Z""

Peec AI blog page (JSON-LD) · page metadata · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Peec AI blog page (JSON-LD), page metadata, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S17, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S17 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D21 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The StateGlobe page's methodology box names the ITU, the World Bank and Statista.

"These projections for China are derived from cross-referencing publicly available government data, industry reports from organizations such as the ITU, World Bank, and Statista, and historical trend analysis."

StateGlobe China page · Methodology box · data.stateglobe.com

Link

Cite

StateGlobe China page, Methodology box, https://data.stateglobe.com/china/live-streaming-growth-statistics. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D21, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D21 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D22 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The page was last reviewed in August 2026.

"Last reviewed: August 2026."

StateGlobe China page · Methodology box · data.stateglobe.com

Link

Cite

StateGlobe China page, Methodology box, https://data.stateglobe.com/china/live-streaming-growth-statistics. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D22, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D22 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D23 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

NFG's chart: 19% of the firms asked invest in SEO and content marketing.

"Inwestuję w pozycjonowanie i content marketing (SEO) 19%"

NFG / Fakturatka.pl chart 'Działania vs skuteczność' · chart bar (image, read by the author) · nfg.pl

Link

Cite

NFG / Fakturatka.pl chart 'Działania vs skuteczność', chart bar (image, read by the author), https://nfg.pl/getattachment/5629e151-abba-423b-8f9e-d8c74d274986/działania-reklamy-vs-skutecznosc.jpg.aspx. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D23, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D23 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D27 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

Searching the archived 2014 page's text for 71 finds nothing.

Result: "grep -c 71: 0"

Search of the archived 2014 page's text · web.archive.org

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Search of the archived 2014 page's text), https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://www.demandgenreport.com/industry-news/b2b-content-preferences-survey-buyers-want-short-visual-mobile-optimized-content/22396/. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D27, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D27 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
P01 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Each prompt ended: 'What's a good recent statistic on X? Give me the number and a link to the source.' (it opened 'I'm putting together a slide for a client presentation.')

"What's a good recent statistic on {topic}? Give me the number and a link to the source."

Our test: the question template, published on the methods page · template · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the question template, published on the methods page, template, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/questions.json. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row P01, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-P01 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
P02 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The fact-check prompt asked for one of three verdicts: safe to use, don't use as is, could not verify.

"VERDICT: SAFE TO USE, or VERDICT: DON'T USE AS IS, or VERDICT: COULD NOT VERIFY"

Our test: the fact-check prompt, published on the methods page · PROMPT · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the fact-check prompt, published on the methods page, PROMPT, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/factcheck.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row P02, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-P02 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
P03 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The tracers were AI agents that did not design the test, given the answers with the assistants' names removed.

"with the subject's name removed"

Our pre-registered plan, published on the methods page · § What gets scored · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our pre-registered plan, published on the methods page, § What gets scored, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/plan.md. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row P03, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-P03 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
P04 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Each tracer recorded every page it opened and what that page showed.

"each URL opened, with what it showed"

Our pre-registered plan, published on the methods page · § The trace rubric · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our pre-registered plan, published on the methods page, § The trace rubric, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/plan.md. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row P04, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-P04 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O11 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

Every one of the 8 'safe to use' verdicts was on a number that had traced.

Result: "SAFE TO USE verdicts on scored statistics: 8, of which TRACED: 8"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O11, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O11 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O12 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Our re-check of 10 of the tracers' calls agreed on 7.

"7 of 10 agreed (70%, Cohen's κ 0.55)"

Our results, published on the methods page · § Audit and the second trace · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our results, published on the methods page, § Audit and the second trace, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/results.md. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O12, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O12 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O12b Verified Read 9 Nov 2026

Our ten-call re-check was done by an AI agent: the checks on the tracers were AI too.

"by": "author (Claude Code, opus-5-5)"

Our test: the author's ten-call audit, published on the methods page · field by, all 10 rows · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the author's ten-call audit, published on the methods page, field by, all 10 rows, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/audit.jsonl. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O12b, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O12b (source read 2026-11-09).

Report an error
O13 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

Of the numbers that did not trace, 4 were mismatches and 6 were not on the cited page.

Result: "'MISMATCH': 4, 'COUNTER NAMED, NOT REACHED': 3, 'NOT ON PAGE': 6"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O13, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O13 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O14 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The rules were locked 13 seconds before the first answer started (14:37:42 against 14:37:55 GMT, 8 Nov 2026).

locked 2026-11-08T14:37:42Z · first answer started_utc 2026-11-08T14:37:55Z

Our test: the plan's lock time (a timestamped commit in our working repository, not public) against the earliest start time in the published answers · earliest started_utc · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the plan's lock time (a timestamped commit in our working repository, not public) against the earliest start time in the published answers, earliest started_utc, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/answers.jsonl. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O14, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O14 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O16 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

On the three audit disagreements, the third reader sided with the tracer twice; the author's audit was wrong on both.

"The author's audit was wrong on both."

Our results, published on the methods page · § Audit and the second trace · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our results, published on the methods page, § Audit and the second trace, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/results.md. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O16, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O16 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D28 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The page calls its own figures 2026 estimates from compound growth modelling that may differ from actual outcomes.

"Figures represent 2026 estimates based on compound growth modeling and may differ from actual outcomes."

StateGlobe China page · Methodology box · data.stateglobe.com

Link

Cite

StateGlobe China page, Methodology box, https://data.stateglobe.com/china/live-streaming-growth-statistics. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D28, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D28 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
AN-A02 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

An assistant said 19% of Polish microbusinesses invest in SEO.

"19% of Polish microbusinesses invest in SEO and content marketing."

Our test: the answers as extracted, published on the methods page · label A02, field stat_sentence · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the answers as extracted, published on the methods page, label A02, field stat_sentence, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/extract.jsonl. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row AN-A02, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-AN-A02 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
AN-A25 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

An assistant credited 71% of B2B buyers consuming blog content to Demand Gen Report's 2018 survey.

"In Demand Gen Report's 2018 Content Preferences Survey, 71% of B2B buyers said they consumed blog content during their purchase process."

Our test: the answers as extracted, published on the methods page · label A25, field stat_sentence · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the answers as extracted, published on the methods page, label A25, field stat_sentence, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/extract.jsonl. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row AN-A25, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-AN-A25 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S18 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

His write-up has a sub-heading saying ChatGPT is still citing the site.

"ChatGPT is still citing it to this day"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § After 7 months (sub-head) · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § After 7 months (sub-head), https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S18, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S18 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S19 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

He joined Peec AI in June 2026.

"Right after I joined Peec in June 2026"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § After 7 months · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § After 7 months, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S19, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S19 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S20 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Peec AI works on getting brands into AI search (GEO).

"At Peec AI and in the industry, we talk about GEO and SEO every day"

Yesilyurt 2026 · § intro · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § intro, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S20, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S20 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
S21 Verified Read 11 Nov 2026

Peec AI's tool tracks how brands show up in AI search.

"AI Visibility Track how you show up in AI"

Peec AI site navigation · page navigation · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Peec AI site navigation, page navigation, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S21, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S21 (source read 2026-11-11).

Report an error
S22 Verified Read 11 Nov 2026

The prompts he tracked were in his firm's own tool.

"Right after I joined Peec in June 2026, I also set up a visibility dashboard in our tool to track a few prompts."

Yesilyurt 2026 · § After 7 months · peec.ai

Link

Cite

Yesilyurt 2026, § After 7 months, https://peec.ai/blog/publish-stats-get-cited-the-tactic-that-put-my-data-all-over-the-web. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row S22, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-S22 (source read 2026-11-11).

Report an error
T12 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Trakkr sells services for getting cited in AI answers.

"Get cited Earn the sources AI reads"

Trakkr site navigation · page navigation · trakkr.ai

Link

Cite

Trakkr site navigation, page navigation, https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/zombie-stats. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row T12, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-T12 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
O18 Executed Read 8 Nov 2026

Of the 9 page-visible failures, 6 were not on the page and 3 were mismatches.

Result: "cited-page failures by class: {'MISMATCH': 3, 'NOT ON PAGE': 6}"

Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page · durabilitycurve.com

A run or observation done for this piece. The run record is not published.

Link

Cite

A run or observation by The Durability Curve (Our test: the scoring script, published on the methods page), https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/score.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row O18, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-O18 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
P06 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

Both assistants ran with web search on.

"tools.web_search=true"

Our test: the collection script, published on the methods page · the two assistant calls · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the collection script, published on the methods page, the two assistant calls, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/collect.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row P06, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-P06 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
P07 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The fact-check prompt gave the checker the source link.

"Source given: {url}"

Our test: the fact-check prompt, published on the methods page · PROMPT · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the fact-check prompt, published on the methods page, PROMPT, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/factcheck.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row P07, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-P07 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
P09 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The assistants ran through command-line developer tools: Claude via claude -p and GPT-5.6 Sol via Codex, with web search.

"Subjects: Claude Sonnet via claude -p (WebSearch, WebFetch); GPT-5.6 Sol via Codex (web_search)."

Our test: the collection script, published on the methods page · module docstring · durabilitycurve.com

Link

Cite

Our test: the collection script, published on the methods page, module docstring, https://durabilitycurve.com/methods/planted-numbers/experiment/collect.py. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row P09, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-P09 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error
D29 Verified Read 8 Nov 2026

The page the AI linked (XYZ.pl) says 19 proc. (per cent) of microfirms invest in SEO and content marketing.

"a 19 proc. inwestuje w SEO i content marketing"

XYZ.pl (PAP), 12 Nov 2025 · Body · xyz.pl

Link

Cite

XYZ.pl (PAP), 12 Nov 2025, Body, https://xyz.pl/dzieje-sie/ponad-polowa-mikrofirm-w-polsce-prowadzi-dzialania-reklamowe-2655. Checked in: Claim Ledger, "A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It.", The Durability Curve, row D29, https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/#c-D29 (source read 2026-11-08).

Report an error

Cite and reuse

A single claim: Use the row's Cite button. It names the original source first, then this row, which carries its own link.
This ledger: Floyd, Harry (2026). Claim Ledger: A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It. The Durability Curve. https://durabilitycurve.com/claims/planted-numbers/
The essay: Floyd, Harry (2026). A Fake Statistics Site Cost $50. ChatGPT Kept Citing It. The Durability Curve. https://durabilitycurve.com/blog/planted-numbers/

The ledger data is licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse it, quote it or train on it, with credit to The Durability Curve and a link. Read the licence. Machine copies: JSON, CSV, Markdown.

What the essay claims

The claim ladder

What would make it wrong

The evidence, row by row

Cite and reuse

Subscribe to get each new piece in your inbox, with something to use in every one.