Gullible suburban mother of four regularly duped in her half-century life. Exploring hoaxes and schemes as the ExSCAMiner, she attempts answering the nagging question: Should I have fallen for that? Got scam tips, email Karin at ScamExaminer@gmail.com.

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Showing entries for Category: hoax

When (Bigfoot) jokes go bad, things get ugly

1 comment

August 23, 9:28 AM

by Karin Malchow, Scam Examiner

Applied linguist Nancy Bell asserts that telling a bad joke provokes angry social responses, sometimes even leading to violence. Although her research recorded responses after recruited students told unfunny jokes during conversation, hoaxsters and practical jokesters may want to take note.

Topics: hoax , Bigfoot

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Monsters coming out of the closet

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August 16, 9:11 PM

With Gawker's recent fascination with the likely viral movie campaign Montauk Monster, the Bigfoot press conference by admitted hoaxsters, and the Chupacabra video, one has to wonder: What cultural trends (besides a slow news day) coincide with... Read More
Topics: hoax , myth , Bigfoot , Chupacabra , Montauk Monster

Senior pranks '08

2 comments

May 25, 11:00 AM

Spring and imminent graduation motivates a deluge of misplaced chairs and desks, mass running through halls, aluminum foil, duct tape, toilet paper, post-it notes, balloons and bouncy balls. Reportedly these activities create a senior class legacy. Notable... Read More
Topics: hoax , senior prank

Death be not proud

1 comment

May 12, 1:17 PM

Internet Buzz Examiner Joshua McIntire's article on melting bodies with lye, pressure and heat for a greener funeral reminded me of one of the best scams perpetrated on the media ever. Joey Scaggs, who made hoax press releases into an art form,... Read More
Topics: hoax , internet , death

Fairy dusted

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May 9, 8:16 AM

Would this picture fool you? It convinced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes' creator, that fairies flew among us. Two fads helped popularize the Cottingley Fairy Hoax: Home photography after the 1900 Kodak Brownie introduction and... Read More
Topics: hoax

E-mail this!

9 comments

April 23, 1:47 PM

Do we really like being taken, flim-flammed, jacked, chumped, played, suckered, snowed, conned, swindled, hoaxed even when it's all in fun? Judging from my inbox, we must. C'mon, admit it; you've participated, perhaps unwittingly. ... Read More
Topics: hoax , internet

Karin Malchow