Aug 26, 2008
: Vol. 4, Issue No. 48
The Scams, Scandals, Hoaxes, Frauds and Pranks of August
All a bemused observer can say is, 'Whew!'
Sour Grapes
The news that Wine Spectator magazine was scammed into giving an Award of Excellence to a non-existent restaurant has been greeted with guffaws by schadenfreude fans and with fury by the magazine's editor.
--Nick Fox, Diner's Journal, The New York Times, August 21, 2008
--Thomas Claburn,
InformationWeek --12 Aug. 2008
China Had "Cute" Girl Mime Opening Ceremony After Singer Banned For Crooked TeethBEIJING -- A 7-year-old Chinese girl was not good-looking enough for the Olympics opening ceremony, so another little girl with a pixie smile lip-synched "Ode to the Motherland," a ceremony official said--the latest example of the lengths Beijing took for a perfect start to the Summer Games. A member of China's Politburo asked for the last-minute change to match one girl's face with another's voice, the ceremony's chief music director, Chen Qigang, said in an interview with Beijing Radio. "The audience will understand that it's in the national interest," Chen said in a video of the interview posted online Sunday night.--Cara Anna, Associated Press
--14 Aug. 2008
Scandal of the Ages: Documents Reveal Underage Chinese GymnastWhat began as whispers among the media and gymnastics insiders weeks ago about the ages of three of China's female Olympic gymnasts--Jiang Yuyuan, Yang Yilin and He Kexin--has grown into ear-shattering, head-hurting shouts. Despite assurances by Chinese officials that all three are 16, the minimum age of eligibility for Olympic competition, newly discovered documents and records prove otherwise. The New York Times
first looked into the age of China's gymnasts with a story on July 27 that focused primarily on He Kexin, whose birthdate on numerous online records was listed as January 1, 1994, making her 14 when the Games began and ineligible to compete.--David Flumenbaum, HuffingtonPost.com
--18 Aug. 2008
Bottle Cap Drive for Cancer a HoaxPARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) -- A bizarre hoax has fooled residents across West Virginia who thought they were helping raise money for cancer patients. Churches, restaurants and businesses from Wheeling to Bluefield have been collecting plastic bottle caps, fueled by flyers that claim the caps can be redeemed for money to pay for cancer treatment. The caps, though, are worthless. Even recycling centers are rejecting them. Aleta Brace of Parkersburg collected more than 20,000 bottle caps before learning about the hoax. She's upset, but said the response shows how West Virginians are eager to help people suffering from cancer. Amy Berner of the West Virginia chapter of the American Cancer Society says the group is trying to discover how the hoax started.--Associated Press
--19 Aug. 2008
7-year-old boy admits making hoax call to Coast Guard
SEATTLE -- The Coast Guard says the parents of a 7-year-old Maple Valley, Wash., boy could face criminal penalties after their child placed two hoax distress calls on Sunday. Officials with Coast Guard Sector Seattle say they received the calls via VHF channel 16. In the first call, received at noon, the boy stated that he was drowning. At 6 p.m. he made a second call saying his boat had a hole in it and was sinking. They were able to get a partial address from the child and both times the boy gave his name. Petty Officer David Marin says the Coast Guard knew they were hoax calls because of the partial address the boy offered and a new technology that can track the source of marine radio calls. King County deputies were able to locate the boy's home in Maple Valley using the partial address. The boy admitted to deputies that he made the distress calls while his father was asleep.
Recessionary Marketing: Automation Makes It Click
