Justin Bieber engaged

Justin Bieber fans spread rumor he's engaged to Carol M. Baldwin's granddaughter

Justin Bieber fans sparked a Twitter meltdown on Thursday when they spread an Internet rumor that he's engaged to Hailey Baldwin, his longtime friend and the granddaughter of Central New York breast cancer fundraiser Carol M. Baldwin.

#CongratsJustinAndHailey became a worldwide trending topic as social media users shared photos allegedly showing the 18-year-old model, whose father is actor Stephen Baldwin, wearing a diamond engagement ring. One image appeared to be a Snapchat screenshot from Hailey, saying "Thanks Bieber," with a TMZ logo wrapped over the image. Another claimed to be a screenshot from the 21-year-old pop singer's Instagram account, showing a couple saying their wedding vows with the caption "soon."

But as E! News reports, the engagement rumor is just that -- a rumor.

It's unclear who started the hoax, but TMZ was not involved. The ring picture appears to be Photoshopped from another Snapchat user who wrote "Thanks Mom," and thanking a boyfriend by their last name looked weird. But this isn't the first time the pair has sparked relationship rumors. They celebrated the most recent New Year's Eve together, looking cozy in Turks and Caicos, and were just spotted together at IHOP on Thursday with Bieber's sister and Baldwin's model friend Kendall Jenner.

Hailey has denied previous reports that she spent the night at Justin's house, insisting they're just close "friends."

But can you imagine Bieber as Camillus resident Carol M. Baldwin's grandson-in-law? Or Hailey's uncle Alec Baldwin giving a wedding toast to the "Baby" hitmaker? If it does ever happen, hopefully a reality TV show captures everything.