Munchausen by Internet.
So, the majority of internet frauds I'm going to be talking about here are ones where people tell lies to their online communities, possibly going as far as to fake their own deaths. I have no idea what would make people do this, though Dr Marc Feldman has proposed they suffer from a condition called Munchausen by internet. I can provide you with any number of links about Munchausen by Internet:
Sympathy-Seekers Invade Internet Support Groups from www.healthyplace.com. This two-page article includes two sets of "diagnostic criteria" that you can use to test your "friend's" stories.
Cybersickness: Munchausen by Internet Breeds a Generation of Fakers by Francine Russo,
June 27 - July 3, 2001, from the Village Voice. See also Wired News: They Think They Feel Your Pain by Jenn Shreve, 06 Jun 2001, from Wired.
A Strange Case of Munchausen by Internet. Discusses the use of sockpuppets, extra fake accounts that support the original poster's story. You will note their use in some of the Cases that follow.
Kaycee Nicole Swenson didn't just have a fake internet death: her entire life was fake. The short life of Kaycee Nicole by Bobbie Johnson, Monday 28 May 2001, from the Guardian. More about Kaycee Nicole from the New York Times: A Beautiful Life, an Early Death, a Fraud Exposed by Katie Hafner, 31 May 2001. See also The Life and Death of a False Warrior by shirobara of kuro5hin.org, Tue 22 May 2001. Snopes.com has an article Several authors of inspiring books and web logs have turned out to be fictitious featuring both Kaycee Nicole Swenson and Tony Godby Johnson.
If all of that is too depressing for you, I suggest viewing the video A Beginner's Guide to Faking Your Death On The Internet by http://lukelewis.net. He also discusses the insanity ratio of the online community in question, the "Camwhore factor", and the use of sockpuppets. It's very funny, even if parts of the video make you cringe.
Sympathy-Seekers Invade Internet Support Groups from www.healthyplace.com. This two-page article includes two sets of "diagnostic criteria" that you can use to test your "friend's" stories.
Cybersickness: Munchausen by Internet Breeds a Generation of Fakers by Francine Russo,
June 27 - July 3, 2001, from the Village Voice. See also Wired News: They Think They Feel Your Pain by Jenn Shreve, 06 Jun 2001, from Wired.
A Strange Case of Munchausen by Internet. Discusses the use of sockpuppets, extra fake accounts that support the original poster's story. You will note their use in some of the Cases that follow.
Kaycee Nicole Swenson didn't just have a fake internet death: her entire life was fake. The short life of Kaycee Nicole by Bobbie Johnson, Monday 28 May 2001, from the Guardian. More about Kaycee Nicole from the New York Times: A Beautiful Life, an Early Death, a Fraud Exposed by Katie Hafner, 31 May 2001. See also The Life and Death of a False Warrior by shirobara of kuro5hin.org, Tue 22 May 2001. Snopes.com has an article Several authors of inspiring books and web logs have turned out to be fictitious featuring both Kaycee Nicole Swenson and Tony Godby Johnson.
If all of that is too depressing for you, I suggest viewing the video A Beginner's Guide to Faking Your Death On The Internet by http://lukelewis.net. He also discusses the insanity ratio of the online community in question, the "Camwhore factor", and the use of sockpuppets. It's very funny, even if parts of the video make you cringe.