"Does the neighbor heat the apartment to over 19 degrees? Please inform us," reads the poster currently circulating on messaging services such as Signal and Telegram, according to Swiss media.

Except, it's fake.

According to Energy Department official, Simone Hug, the federal government has nothing to do with the poster.

"There are no such federal posters, nor do we call for people to be exposed," said Hug, who added that the government is investigating who created the hoax.

Outlet '20 Minuten' says it's easy to conduct a google reverse image of the alleged poster, where it can be found on 'freepik,' which hosts over 25 million images, and lists the template as "blank billboard mockup."

That said, the fact that so many people believed that the post was real comes as no surprise given the government's extreme measures to save energy - including the prohibition on home temperatures above 66.2F, as well as a maximum hot water temperature of 60 degrees, and to turn off saunas and swimming pools. 'Willful' violators risk three years in prison, while negligent violators face a daily penalty between 30 francs (US$31) and 3,000 francs (US$3130) and up to 180 days in prison.

In short: if you accidentally set your thermostat incorrectly, you will be better off than your neighbor who deliberately heated his pool to 25 degrees. The penalty should be even heavier for a company that deliberately exceeds gas consumption limits. The quota order is also subject to penal provisions. -Blick