Think sports fans are the only ones pulling Wikipedia pranks? Wrong. Such scams can make their way into politics and broadcasting. Click here to learn about the intersection of a Wikipedia prank, national politics, and radio broadcasting.
Click here to read about how a man trying to pull a Wikipedia prank lost his job.
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Sometimes a Wikipedia hoax may not be evident to you, especially if you are unfamiliar with the subject you are reading about.
For example, if you're not a soccer fan, or not a fan of American soccer, the following Wikipedia info box may look accurate:
Reading through the entry, does everything look legitimate to you? There are hyperlinks to entries for it's stadium and owner, and plenty of professional sports franchises are owned by one individual.
Let's dig a bit deeper. Could the stadium really be named Children's Mercy Park? When we do a Google search, the first result that comes up is this one.
Now that we know that yes, that is indeed the home stadium for Sporting Kansas City, why don't we do a Google search for the team's owner, Jordan Morris. Type in Jordan Morris into a Google search box and you will get - an American soccer player.
Are you suspecting a hoax?
Click here to visit a credible site with information on who Jordan Morris really is. Yes, the Seattle Sounders fan/Wikipedia prankster struck again.
So how did Jordan Morris become the "owner" of Sporting Kansas City? In a match on March 25, 2023, Morris scored four goals in a match in Kansas City. The prankster then edited the SKC Wikipedia entry, and shared the screenshot above on a Seattle Sounders fan board on social media.
Click on the "Summary" tab above to conclude this tutorial.