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{{About|false information|the film|The Hoax|the artist|Saint Hoax}} |
{{About|false information|the film|The Hoax|the artist|Saint Hoax}} |
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{{selfref|For the Wikipedia policy about false information, see [[Wikipedia:Do not create hoaxes]].}} |
{{selfref|For the Wikipedia policy about false information, see [[Wikipedia:Do not create hoaxes]].}} |
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{{TAFI}} |
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[[File:Dreadnought hoax.png|thumb|The [[Dreadnought hoax|''Dreadnought'' hoax]]ers in [[Ethiopian Empire|Abyssinian]] [[regalia]]; the bearded figure on the far left is in fact the writer [[Virginia Woolf]].]] |
[[File:Dreadnought hoax.png|thumb|The [[Dreadnought hoax|''Dreadnought'' hoax]]ers in [[Ethiopian Empire|Abyssinian]] [[regalia]]; the bearded figure on the far left is in fact the writer [[Virginia Woolf]].]] |
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A '''hoax''' is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth.<ref name=MacDougall_6>{{cite book | title = Hoaxes | first = Curtis D. | last = MacDougall | isbn = 0-486-20465-0 | publisher = Dover | page = 6 | year = 1958 }}</ref> It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment,<ref name=MacDougall_6/> |
A '''hoax''' is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as the truth.<ref name=MacDougall_6>{{cite book | title = Hoaxes | first = Curtis D. | last = MacDougall | isbn = 0-486-20465-0 | publisher = Dover | page = 6 | year = 1958 }}</ref> It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment,<ref name=MacDougall_6/> [[rumor]]s, [[urban legend]]s, [[pseudoscience]]s and [[April Fools' Day]] events that are passed along in [[good faith]] by believers or as jokes.<ref name=Brunvand_194>{{cite book | title = Encyclopedia of Urban Legends | first = Jan H. | last = Brunvand | authorlink = Jan Harold Brunvand | isbn = 1-57607-076-X | page = 194 | publisher = W. W. Norton & Company | year = 2001 }}</ref> |
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==Etymology== |
==Etymology== |
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The English [[philologist]] [[Robert Nares]] (1753–1829) says that the word ''hoax'' was coined in the late 18th century as a contraction of the verb ''[[wiktionary:hocus|hocus]]'', which means "to cheat |
The English [[philologist]] [[Robert Nares]] (1753–1829) says that the word ''hoax'' was coined in the late 18th century as a contraction of the verb ''[[wiktionary:hocus|hocus]]'', which means "to cheat," "to impose upon"<ref name="Nares1822">{{cite book|last=Nares|first=Robert |title=A glossary; or, Collection of words ... which have been thought to require illustration, in the works of English authors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjITAAAAQAAJ&pg=235|year=1822|publisher=R. Triphook|location=London|page=235}}</ref> or (according to Merrian-Webster) "to befuddle often with drugged liquor."<ref name=MW>{{cite web | title = Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Hocus | url = http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hocus?show=0&t=1288021817 | publisher = [[Merriam-Webster]] | year = 2010 | accessdate = 25 October 2010 }}</ref> ''Hocus'' is a shortening of the [[magic (paranormal)|magic]] [[incantation]] ''[[Hocus Pocus (magic)|hocus pocus]]'',<ref name=MW/> whose origin is disputed.<ref>See the [[Hocus Pocus (magic)|Hocus Pocus]] article for more detail.</ref> |
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==Definition== |
==Definition== |
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[[File:Feejee mermaid.jpg|thumb|upright|[[P. T. Barnum]]'s [[Fiji mermaid]] (1842)]] |
[[File:Feejee mermaid.jpg|thumb|upright|[[P. T. Barnum]]'s [[Fiji mermaid]] (1842)]] |
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[[Robert Nares]] defined the word ''hoax'' as meaning "to cheat |
[[Robert Nares]] defined the word ''hoax'' as meaning "to cheat," dating from [[Thomas Ady]]'s 1656 book ''A candle in the dark, or a treatise on the nature of witches and [[witchcraft]]''.<ref name="AHD"/> |
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The term ''hoax'' is occasionally used in reference to urban legends and rumors, but the [[folklorist]] [[Jan Harold Brunvand]] argues that most of them lack evidence of deliberate creations of falsehood and are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes, so the term should be used for only those with a probable conscious attempt to deceive.<ref name=Brunvand_194/> As for the closely related terms ''[[practical joke]]'' and ''prank'', Brunvand states that although there are instances where they overlap, ''hoax'' tends to indicate "relatively complex and large-scale fabrications" and includes deceptions that go beyond the merely playful and "cause material loss or harm to the victim |
The term ''hoax'' is occasionally used in reference to urban legends and rumors, but the [[folklorist]] [[Jan Harold Brunvand]] argues that most of them lack evidence of deliberate creations of falsehood and are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes, so the term should be used for only those with a probable conscious attempt to deceive.<ref name=Brunvand_194/> As for the closely related terms ''[[practical joke]]'' and ''prank'', Brunvand states that although there are instances where they overlap, ''hoax'' tends to indicate "relatively complex and large-scale fabrications" and includes deceptions that go beyond the merely playful and "cause material loss or harm to the victim."<ref>{{cite book | title = American Folklore: An Encyclopedia | first = Jan H. | last = Brunvand | authorlink = Jan Harold Brunvand | isbn = 0-8153-3350-1 | page = 587 | publisher = Taylor & Francis | year = 1998 }}</ref> |
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According to Professor Lynda Walsh of the [[University of Nevada, Reno]], some hoaxes—such as the [[Great Stock Exchange Fraud of 1814]], labeled as a hoax by contemporary commentators—are financial in nature, and successful hoaxers—such as [[P. T. Barnum]], whose [[Fiji mermaid]] contributed to his wealth—often acquire monetary gain or fame through their fabrications, so the distinction between ''hoax'' and ''[[fraud]]'' is not necessarily clear.<ref name=Walsh_24>{{cite book | title = Sins Against Science: The Scientific Media Hoaxes of Poe, Twain, And Others | first = Lynda | last = Walsh | publisher = State University of New York Press | isbn = 0-7914-6877-1 | pages = 24–25 | year = 2006}}</ref> Alex Boese, the creator of the [[Museum of Hoaxes]], states that the only distinction between them is the reaction of the public, because a fraud can be classified as a hoax when its method of acquiring financial gain creates a broad public impact or captures the imagination of the masses.<ref>{{cite web | title = What Is A Hoax? | first = Alex | last = Boese | year = 2008 | url = http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/What_is_a_hoax/ | accessdate = 25 October 2010 }}</ref> |
According to Professor Lynda Walsh of the [[University of Nevada, Reno]], some hoaxes—such as the [[Great Stock Exchange Fraud of 1814]], labeled as a hoax by contemporary commentators—are financial in nature, and successful hoaxers—such as [[P. T. Barnum]], whose [[Fiji mermaid]] contributed to his wealth—often acquire monetary gain or fame through their fabrications, so the distinction between ''hoax'' and ''[[fraud]]'' is not necessarily clear.<ref name=Walsh_24>{{cite book | title = Sins Against Science: The Scientific Media Hoaxes of Poe, Twain, And Others | first = Lynda | last = Walsh | publisher = State University of New York Press | isbn = 0-7914-6877-1 | pages = 24–25 | year = 2006}}</ref> Alex Boese, the creator of the [[Museum of Hoaxes]], states that the only distinction between them is the reaction of the public, because a fraud can be classified as a hoax when its method of acquiring financial gain creates a broad public impact or captures the imagination of the masses.<ref>{{cite web | title = What Is A Hoax? | first = Alex | last = Boese | year = 2008 | url = http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/What_is_a_hoax/ | accessdate = 25 October 2010 }}</ref> |
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A hoax is often intended as a practical joke or to cause embarrassment, or to provoke social or political change by raising people's awareness of something. It can also emerge from a marketing or advertising purpose. For example, to market a [[romantic comedy]] movie, a director staged a phony "incident" during a supposed [[wedding]], which showed a bride and preacher getting knocked into a pool by a clumsy fall from a best man.<ref name=twsMarE28/> A resulting video clip of ''Chloe and Keith's Wedding'' was uploaded to [[YouTube]] and was viewed by over 30 million people and the couple was interviewed by numerous talk shows.<ref name=twsMarE28/> Viewers were deluded into thinking that it was an authentic clip of a real accident at a real wedding; but a story in ''[[USA Today]]'' in 2009 revealed it was a hoax.<ref name=twsMarE28>{{cite news |
A hoax is often intended as a practical joke or to cause embarrassment, or to provoke social or political change by raising people's awareness of something. It can also emerge from a marketing or advertising purpose. For example, to market a [[romantic comedy]] movie, a director staged a phony "incident" during a supposed [[wedding]], which showed a bride and preacher getting knocked into a pool by a clumsy fall from a best man.<ref name=twsMarE28/> A resulting video clip of ''Chloe and Keith's Wedding'' was uploaded to [[YouTube]] and was viewed by over 30 million people and the couple was interviewed by numerous talk shows.<ref name=twsMarE28/> Viewers were deluded into thinking that it was an authentic clip of a real accident at a real wedding; but a story in ''[[USA Today]]'' in 2009 revealed it was a hoax.<ref name=twsMarE28>{{cite news |
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|author= |
|author= Oldenburg, Ann |
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|title= Director: 'Chloe and Keith's Wedding' video is a hoax |
|title= Director: 'Chloe and Keith's Wedding' video is a hoax |
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|publisher= ''USA Today'' |
|publisher= ''USA Today'' |
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}}</ref> |
}}</ref> |
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A borderline case between fiction and hoax is [[The War of the Worlds (radio drama)|a 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles]] describing a [[Mars|Martian]] invasion of |
A borderline case between fiction and hoax is [[The War of the Worlds (radio drama)|a 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles]] describing a [[Mars|Martian]] invasion of Earth. Many people who tuned in without hearing the introduction of the program as fiction were concerned that the invasion was real. It has been suggested that Welles knew the schedule of a popular program on another channel, and scheduled the first report of the invasion to coincide with a commercial break in the other program so that people switching stations would be tricked. |
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Governments sometimes spread false information to |
Governments sometimes spread false information to facilitate their objectives, such as going to war; the "[[Iraq Dossier|Iraq dossier]]" is an example of this; these often come under the heading of black propaganda. There is often a mixture of outright hoax and [[Censorship|suppression and management of information]] to give the desired impression. In wartime and times of international tension rumors abound, some of which may be deliberate hoaxes. |
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Examples of politics-related hoaxes: |
Examples of politics-related hoaxes: |
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* [[Belgium]] is a country with a [[Flemish]]-speaking region and a [[French language|French]]-speaking region. In 2006 French-speaking television channel [[RTBF]] interrupted programming with [[Flemish Secession hoax|a spoof report]] claiming that the country had split in two and the [[Monarchy of Belgium|royal family]] had fled. |
* [[Belgium]] is a country with a [[Flemish]]-speaking region and a [[French language|French]]-speaking region. In 2006 French-speaking television channel [[RTBF]] interrupted programming with [[Flemish Secession hoax|a spoof report]] claiming that the country had split in two and the [[Monarchy of Belgium|royal family]] had fled. |
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* On Saturday 13 March 2010 the [[Imedi]] television station in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] broadcast [[Imedi Media Holding#2010 Russian invasion hoax|a false announcement]] that [[Russia]] had invaded Georgia.{{ |
* On Saturday 13 March 2010 the [[Imedi]] television station in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] broadcast [[Imedi Media Holding#2010 Russian invasion hoax|a false announcement]] that [[Russia]] had invaded Georgia.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Watson|first1=Ivan|title=Fake Russian invasion broadcast sparks Georgian panic|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/03/14/georgia.invasion.scare/|accessdate=12 December 2016|publisher=CNN|date=2010-03-10}}</ref> |
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Psychologist Peter Hancock has identified six steps which characterise a truly successful hoax:<ref name=hancock15>{{cite book | title = Hoax Springs Eternal: The Psychology of Cognitive Deception | first = Peter | last = Hancock | publisher = Cambridge U.P. | isbn = 9781107417687 | pages = 182–195 | year = 2015}}</ref> |
Psychologist Peter Hancock has identified six steps which characterise a truly successful hoax:<ref name=hancock15>{{cite book | title = Hoax Springs Eternal: The Psychology of Cognitive Deception | first = Peter | last = Hancock | publisher = Cambridge U.P. | isbn = 9781107417687 | pages = 182–195 | year = 2015}}</ref> |
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*Some [[urban legend]]s and rumors with a probable conscious attempt to deceive<ref name=Brunvand_194/> |
*Some [[urban legend]]s and rumors with a probable conscious attempt to deceive<ref name=Brunvand_194/> |
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*[[Humbug]]s |
*[[Humbug]]s |
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*Computer [[virus hoax]]es became widespread as [[Computer virus|viruses]] themselves began to spread. A typical hoax is an [[email]] message warning recipients of a non-existent threat, usually forging quotes supposedly from authorities such as [[Microsoft]] and [[IBM]]. In most cases the [[payload (software)|payload]] is an exhortation to distribute the message to everyone in the recipient's [[Software address book|address book]]. Thus the e-mail "warning" is itself the "virus |
*Computer [[virus hoax]]es became widespread as [[Computer virus|viruses]] themselves began to spread. A typical hoax is an [[email]] message warning recipients of a non-existent threat, usually forging quotes supposedly from authorities such as [[Microsoft]] and [[IBM]]. In most cases the [[payload (software)|payload]] is an exhortation to distribute the message to everyone in the recipient's [[Software address book|address book]]. Thus the e-mail "warning" is itself the "virus." Sometimes the hoax is more harmful, e.g., telling the recipient to seek a particular [[computer file|file]] (usually in a [[Microsoft Windows]] [[operating system]]); if the file is found, the computer is deemed to be infected unless it is deleted. In reality the file is one required by the operating system for correct functioning of the computer. |
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*[[Internet]] hoaxes became more common after the start of [[social media]]. Some websites have been used to hoax millions of people on the Web.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/24/how-serial-hoaxers-duped-the-internet-with-fake-4chan-threats-against-emma-watson/ |title=How serial hoaxers duped the Internet |publisher=Washington Post |date=2014-09-24 |accessdate=2014-09-24}}</ref> |
*[[Internet]] hoaxes became more common after the start of [[social media]]. Some websites have been used to hoax millions of people on the Web.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/24/how-serial-hoaxers-duped-the-internet-with-fake-4chan-threats-against-emma-watson/ |title=How serial hoaxers duped the Internet |publisher=Washington Post |date=2014-09-24 |accessdate=2014-09-24}}</ref> |
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*A [[List of hoaxes#Proven hoaxes of exposure|hoax of exposure]] is a semi-comical or private [[sting operation]]. It usually encourages people to act foolishly or credulously by falling for patent nonsense that the hoaxer deliberately presents as reality. A related activity is [[culture jamming]]. |
*A [[List of hoaxes#Proven hoaxes of exposure|hoax of exposure]] is a semi-comical or private [[sting operation]]. It usually encourages people to act foolishly or credulously by falling for patent nonsense that the hoaxer deliberately presents as reality. A related activity is [[culture jamming]]. |
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*Art-world hoaxes: |
*Art-world hoaxes: |
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**The "Bruno Hat" art hoax arranged in [[London]] in July 1929 involved staging a convincing public exhibition of [[paintings]] by an imaginary reclusive artist, Bruno Hat. All the perpetrators were well-educated and did not intend a fraud, as the newspapers were informed the next day. Those involved included [[Brian Howard (poet)|Brian Howard]], [[Evelyn Waugh]], [[Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne|Bryan Guinness]], [[John Banting]] and [[Tom Mitford#Thumbnail biographies|Tom Mitford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leicestergalleries.com/19th-20th-century-paintings/d/still-life-with-pears/10464 |title=Leicester Galleries website on ''Bruno Hat'', accessed 28th May 2011 |publisher=Leicestergalleries.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref> |
**The "Bruno Hat" art hoax, arranged in [[London]] in July 1929, involved staging a convincing public exhibition of [[paintings]] by an imaginary reclusive artist, Bruno Hat. All the perpetrators were well-educated and did not intend a fraud, as the newspapers were informed the next day. Those involved included [[Brian Howard (poet)|Brian Howard]], [[Evelyn Waugh]], [[Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne|Bryan Guinness]], [[John Banting]] and [[Tom Mitford#Thumbnail biographies|Tom Mitford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leicestergalleries.com/19th-20th-century-paintings/d/still-life-with-pears/10464 |title=Leicester Galleries website on ''Bruno Hat'', accessed 28th May 2011 |publisher=Leicestergalleries.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref> |
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** ''[[Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960]]'': a 1998 art world hoax, by [[William Boyd (writer)|William Boyd]] |
** ''[[Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960]]'': a 1998 art world hoax, by [[William Boyd (writer)|William Boyd]] |
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<!--* WIA < > WIA by [[Niklas Roy]]: a hoax technological art project commissioned by [[Ars Electronica]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ars Electronica: Planet Zukunft |publisher=[[Die Zeit|Zeit online]] |date=September 8, 2009 |url=http://www.zeit.de/kultur/kunst/2009-09/ars-electronica-zukunft |accessdate=November 3, 2011}}</ref> This article, in German, does not describe a "WIA" hoax, but Google Translate is probably not up to the task of clarifying what the article is about.--> |
<!--* WIA < > WIA by [[Niklas Roy]]: a hoax technological art project commissioned by [[Ars Electronica]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ars Electronica: Planet Zukunft |publisher=[[Die Zeit|Zeit online]] |date=September 8, 2009 |url=http://www.zeit.de/kultur/kunst/2009-09/ars-electronica-zukunft |accessdate=November 3, 2011}}</ref> This article, in German, does not describe a "WIA" hoax, but Google Translate is probably not up to the task of clarifying what the article is about.--> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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{{ |
{{colbegin||15em}} |
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{{Col-1-of-3}} |
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* [[Conspiracy theory]] |
* [[Conspiracy theory]] |
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* [[Counterfeit]] |
* [[Counterfeit]] |
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* [[E-mail spoofing]] |
* [[E-mail spoofing]] |
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* [[Fake memoirs]] |
* [[Fake memoirs]] |
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* [[Fake news website]] |
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* [[False document]] |
* [[False document]] |
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* [[Fictitious entry]] |
* [[Fictitious entry]] |
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{{Col-2-of-3}} |
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* [[Forgery]] |
* [[Forgery]] |
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* [[Impostor]] |
* [[Impostor]] |
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* [[Media manipulation]] |
* [[Media manipulation]] |
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* [[Musical hoax]] |
* [[Musical hoax]] |
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{{Col-3-of-3}} |
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* [[Simulated reality]] |
* [[Simulated reality]] |
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* [[Sokal affair]] |
* [[Sokal affair]] |
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* [[Virus hoax]] |
* [[Virus hoax]] |
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* [[Website spoofing]] |
* [[Website spoofing]] |
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{{ |
{{colend}} |
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{{Col-end}} |
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==References== |
==References== |