Look out for alleged email in Epstein files about World War III

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A rumor circulating online in early February 2026 claimed that an email released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein predicted the start date of World War III. 

Users on social media shared an alleged screenshot of the email, which appeared to be addressed to Epstein’s email address from a person named James Heywood, across X (archived, archived, archived). The purported email read: 

SUBJECT LINE: Off Grid Re: intro, potential angel investmentt app (nuclear)

We need to discuss ww3 the investors want to know if we are still planning Feb 8 2026.

Please be advised that I am on vacation till July 29. I will be attempting to be “off grid”. 

My assistant Rachael Haynes .com can help if it is urgent.

-jamie

(@AGDugin on X)

However, the alleged email was fake. A search of the Epstein files found no emails matching the text shown in the screenshot shared online.

The document matching the file numbers on the bottom right of the fake screenshot — “EFTA_R1_00353105” and “EFTA01914490” — corresponds to this email in the DOJ’s Epstein Library, which is embedded as a PDF below. 

The email was clearly used as the basis for the fake screenshot. The creator appeared to use digital editing tools to alter some key elements of the original document and turn it into the image shared online. Snopes was unable to determine who created the fabricated screenshot at the time of publication. 

A close comparison of the original and fake emails revealed the alterations. For example, in the original email, Heywood is listed as the sender with no email address present. In the fake version, there’s a black line indicating a redaction of an email address. 

In addition, the timestamps on both versions indicated the email was sent at 9:00:002 p.m. However, the original document showed the send date as July 17, 2014, whereas the fake email showed July 17, 2018.

Further, the original email’s subject line read, “Off Grid Re: Intro, potential angel investment opp (microbiome).” In the fake version, an additional layer of text appears to have been overlaid — likely causing the misspelling “investmentt” — and the parenthetical was changed to “(nuclear)”.

Finally, the original document read:

Please be advised that I am on vacation till July 29.  I will be attempting to be “off grid” 

My assistant Rachel Haynes [REDACTED] can help if it is urgent. 

-jamie

There was no mention of “ww3” or “Feb 8 2026.” 

Keen-eyed readers will also notice that the fake email featured copy that differed slightly from the original. In the authentic email, there was no period after “off grid,” but there was in the fake version.

Further, there were no brackets or “.com” after Haynes’ redacted email address in the original document, but there were in the fake.

A thorough search of the DOJ’s Epstein files database for the names “James Heywood” and “Rachael Haynes” revealed a variety of additional emails from July 2014. They showed Heywood trying to set up a meeting with Epstein, but none matched the text in the fake screenshot or mentioned “ww3.” 

A further search of the database for “ww3” returned no relevant results. Snopes was unable to verify who Heywood was, but that did not affect our ability to determine the screenshot was fake.

For further reading, Snopes has investigated a plethora of new claims related to the Epstein files.