People line up for hours after rumor electric bills will be paid by Memphis Grizzlies' Z-Bo

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- There were traffic jams and long lines out the door at gas stations in Memphis Saturday, July 8th -- all over a rumor that blew up on social media.

According to WREG, the rumor heard around the city was NBA star Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzlies, was donating $1 million for MLGW customers' bills.

But it wasn't true.

WREG reports many folks didn't believe it because the kiosks and their receipts were showing their accounts had been paid off. And just like the game of telephone, the rumor kept spreading.

Memphis police were dispatched to gas stations across the city after fights broke out over people's spots in line.

Finally, around 11:00 a.m., Z-Bo himself tweeted that the rumor wasn't true.

An hour later, WREG says MLGW held a press conference to address what they called "a glitch," which they said was displaying inaccurate account information at kiosks and on receipts.

"The glitch is being researched now," MLGW President and CEO Jerry Collins said. "We don't know exactly what caused it, so when we find out what caused it and fix it, then that will tell us what we need to do to keep it from happening in the future."

Collins says the glitch only affected kiosks, not MLGW's customer accounting system, and that those kiosks have been shut down until the problem is fixed.

Z-Bo said in a tweet Saturday morning that he will still give his annual $20,000 donation to MLGW and MIFA this fall.