US Student reveals book visit a hoax

December 24, 2005

On Devember 24, 2005, two Massachusetts newspapers reported that a University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth student has admitted to falsely claiming a visit from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security over a library book. The student has since revealed that his story was a hoax.

The story was first reported in the New Bedford Standard-Times on December 17, 2005. This hoax was widely disseminated by other news and opinion outlets, including Wikinews. The student has not revealed his motivation for the hoax; however, he was taking a class on totalitarianism at the time, and a possible extension of the U.S. Patriot Act was being debated in congress.