Akiko Taniguchi felt a sense of panic after a friend sent a message about a viral photo that included the name of Tsubohachi, the “izakaya” pub-style restaurant that Taniguchi operates in Iida, Nagano Prefecture.

The photo stemmed from a series of online posts that claimed a university student who was infected with the novel coronavirus had spread the contagion to eight businesses in Iida, including Tsubohachi.

By the time Taniguchi learned that the information was false, the damage to her izakaya’s reputation was already done.

But the consequences of the fake posts went beyond lost business. The bogus information prompted claims of a government cover-up, conspiracy theories, harassing phone calls, and the spread of even more lies.

False information and unsubstantiated rumors have spread rapidly online during the novel coronavirus pandemic, often with devastating real-life repercussions. Even posters with good intentions who unknowingly share fake data have received death threats.

In the Iida case, Taniguchi, 33, immediately searched an internet bulletin board about her city and found the posts in question.

At 12:20 p.m. on March 28, a post said the infected student would visit various outlets and spread the virus, and that a convenience store and restaurant were already highly likely to have been contaminated by him.

A 1:42 p.m. message said the student had gone to an izakaya and another convenience store.

Three minutes later, a post said the supposed student was back home in Iida and had visited various outlets. A list of eight establishments, including Tsubohachi, was attached.

Officials of the Iida municipal government did announce on March 27 that a male university student in his 20s was the first resident confirmed infected by the coronavirus.

Although he resided in Tokyo, he returned to his family home in Iida on March 20 and developed a fever three days later.

City officials said the student was hospitalized after he tested positive for the virus. However, the officials did not reveal where the student went with his hometown friends, saying the matter was still being looked into.

They later said disclosure of such information was unnecessary because there was a low risk of infection for other people and that the student’s privacy had to be considered.

The city’s statements apparently fueled the conspiracy theories about the student’s situation.

Rumors spread over the internet about where the student had visited. And after the eight outlets were listed on the bulletin board, a follow-up post said, “The local government is hiding the facts.”

Another post said, “Those businesses appear to be still operating, but we ordinary citizens will not be fooled.”

Additional posts included the family name of the infected student, the neighborhood where his family lived and even the company where his father worked.

The 55-year-old vice president of that company told The Asahi Shimbun that among the lies spread during the incident was that the company president’s son had been infected.

The company received phone calls inquiring if the son had tested positive for the virus.

“Why do people feel a need to blame someone?” the vice president asked. “There is the possibility that anyone could be infected.”

He added that fears and worries during crises like the current pandemic seem to expose the weakness and bring out the evil in some people.

The infected university student also agreed to be interviewed by phone, and he emphasized that he was not the poster on the bulletin board.

“Of the eight outlets on the list that spread over the internet, I only actually visited one,” he said.

He apologized for that visit, saying he went there with friends because his fever had temporarily abated.

“I am sorry for what I did,” he said. “I have no idea why the names of the unrelated outlets appeared. It is frightening.”

Taniguchi said she called the local public health office on March 29 and felt confident that the infected student had not visited the Tsubohachi izakaya.

Using her restaurant’s account on Line, the free messaging app, Taniguchi posted that the list was a fake and expressed her fear about the malicious nature of the vicious rumor.

Her Line posts received a few dozen likes, but they received nowhere near the amount of attention given to the impostor’s fake information.

On the local internet bulletin board, one post did cast doubts on whether one person could visit so many places in such a short time.

However, subsequent posts expressed concerns and anger about the coronavirus situation. Some blamed the local government for not doing enough.

“Which is more important, the honor of the local government or the lives of residents?” a post on March 30 said. “Won’t the concealment of the student’s actions only lead to an increase in infections?”

Business at Tsubohachi had already been hurt by people staying at home over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. After the false rumors spread, the izakaya had some nights with zero customers.

“While some people may have spread the information out of a sense of justice, there is nothing but sadness for those targeted by the vicious rumors,” Taniguchi said.

RUMOR SPREADERS ALSO TARGETED

One early rumor in the coronavirus outbreak was that Japan would soon run out of toilet paper, prompting panic-buying across the nation. The hoarding continued in some areas despite assurances from the government and toilet paper manufacturers that there was an ample supply.

Other false information spread online has included remedies and preventative measures for coronavirus infections, such as drinking hot water.

When such rumors are revealed to be nothing but lies, those who posted the false information have often been targeted for revenge.

One man had passed on a rumor about supply shortages but did not check the veracity of the information.

After the information turned out to be false, he received about 640 messages on his smartphone calling him “garbage” and telling him to “die.”

One message said, “I will never forgive you for causing confusion in society by spreading vicious rumors.”

He stopped reading the messages after some senders showed they knew the number of his smartphone.

But the harassment didn’t end.

Those seeking to punish the man somehow found out his name, address, birthdate and background.

He began receiving unsolicited mail at his home in a quiet residential area, including applications for funerals and pamphlets for matchmaking services.

After some sleepless nights, he consulted with police. His fears peaked when photos of his home began circulating over the internet.

He took time off from work and did not leave his home for a few weeks.

He said he had found the information in the internet and wanted to share it to help others.

“All I can do now is to remain quiet,” he said.