Colorado man fools news agencies for ads
December 31, 2004Colorado man, Alek Komarnitsky’s, managed to fool the world’s press agencies, by suggesting that surfers to his website could control the Christmas lights on his home.
The story was initially picked up by local press - including several Colarado TV stations - before being reported online by Slashdot, the New York Times, and even appeared on Google News.
However, Alek Komarnitsky later confessed the story was a fraud, intended to help draw attention to paid advertising for local lighting firms placed on his site.
The story is covered pretty comprehensively b Gary Price at SEW here: Christmas Lights, Hoaxes, and Google Ads.