Grounded in information gap theory (IGT), the objective of this paper is to develop and empirically validate a conceptual model comprising perceived believability, information curiosity, fact-checking flag, intention to share and intention to verify. The proposed model is tested through a between-participants experiment using a simulated scenario where users browse Facebook news posts. A total of 177 participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: one where a fact-check flag was present in a Facebook news post, and the other where the fact-check flag was absent. Four hypotheses were tested using one-way ANOVA and PROCESS MODEL 4. Results show that the presence of fact-checking flag has both a direct negative impact on the intention to share and an indirect effect through perceived believability. However, it influences the intention to verify only indirectly by increasing information curiosity. This study enriches the literature by not only shedding light on the underlying process by which fact-checking flag affects users’ behavioral intentions but also extending the boundary conditions of IGT.