Help on Hoaxes- multiple "witness" cases

[sentry579]

I'm glad you mentioned that incident. While I was familiar with the story, I did not know he had a supporting witness.

The reason why he finally admitted the hoax is not clear...

Most hoaxers either take credit fairly quickly or not at all. I think this is complicated by the involvement of partners. I can think of one fairly good example.

Gray Barker swore Jim Moseley to secrecy about their authorship of the Straith letter that they sent to George Adamski in the 1950s. Adamski used the letter as "evidence" that the US government secretly approved of his ambassadorship with the alien space brothers. It was only after Barker's death in 1984 that Moseley revealed it was a prank they'd puled on Adamski. Barker was afraid of Federal prosecution for counterfeiting an on US letterhead. Moseley, on his own would have exposed things years earlier just to deflate Adamski.

 

[sentry579]

I came across a paranormal partnership hoax that has been mentioned here before long ago:

... the Tamara Rand hoax:
youtube.com/watch?v=i7ei39-GHDA

After President Ronald Reagan was shot in March 1981, psychic Tamara Rand and talk show host Dick Maurice filmed a scene where she predicted it. They presented the film as evidence of her powers, claiming that it had been taped four months before the assassination attempt.

There's a good piece on it in Science Confronts the Paranormal by Frazier and Randi.

 

[Spektator]

(snip)


After President Ronald Reagan was shot in March 1981, psychic Tamara Rand and talk show host Dick Maurice filmed a scene where she predicted it. They presented the film as evidence of her powers, claiming that it had been taped four months before the assassination attempt.

(snip)

Now, wait a minute. That is simply a training routine. Obviously, if one wants to predict the future, one should start by predicting the past. After one has achieved a high level of success at doing that, the next step is simply to reverse the process.

 

[Squeegee Beckenheim]

Now, wait a minute. That is simply a training routine. Obviously, if one wants to predict the future, one should start by predicting the past. After one has achieved a high level of success at doing that, the next step is simply to reverse the process.

No, the next step is narration. Predicting the future comes after that.

 

[Gilbert Syndrome]

Loch Ness... especially the surgeon photo nonsense.

 

[sentry579]

The most common instance of the hoaxing partnership or team seems to be a variant of a con man's swindle, using one or more shills. What seems to vary is the subject of deception, and also the motivation for the scam.

Some of these hoaxes have been perpetrated by skeptics in order to demonstrate public or media gullibility. These "experiments", along with practical jokers pulling pranks, are about the only hoaxers that ever confess. The rest will vigorously deny their guilt, while secretly enjoying the media attention.

Looking at different types of hoaxes, most are one-offs. A few can be pulled again to a different audience, and it looks like the supernatural ones are the easiest to justify. Psychics and mediums have it made. The haunted house, readings or seances all provide a framework for an endless number of performances.