Hoax

A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. Generally there is some material object involved, which is actually a forgery. Unlike a fraud or con (which usually has an audience of one or a few), which are made for illicit financial or material gain, or a fraud which is perpetrated to support a false religion, a hoax is often perpetrated as a practical joke with a humorous intent, to cause embarrassment, for personal aggrandizement or to serve political purposes. Still, many confidence tricks and the like have also been labeled as hoaxes.

See also

• List of hoaxes
• Famous April Fool's Day jokes
• Forgery
• Counterfeit
• Impostors
• Internet humor
• Anomalous Phenomenon
• Conspiracy Theory
• Urban Legends
• Mockumentary
• Dihydrogen Monoxide Hoax