First big UFO hoax success for a mobile camera app? "Massive UFO" over India, Brazil, China+

As some of you know, I have a long-standing interest in viral hoaxed UFO photos and videos. (I discussed some of the latter a few months ago in my thread The most popular UFO videos : The real stories behind them.

One of the latest hoaxes to catch my eye seems to be going viral at the moment. The latest image in the relevant series of hoaxes now has 2,148 shares on Facebook after being on Facebook for just 21 hours (about 700 of those shares being just within the last hour, i.e. the speed at which it is being shared has been increasing).

I found this hoax particularly interesting since I think this is the first big success for a mobile camera app being used to hoax UFO photos. While some of us have previously talked about such apps and the potential for them making UFO hoaxes even easier, I think this is the first time I've seen photos probably created by such an app go viral in a fairly big way.

I'm interested in seeing how this hoax develops because, well, I posted the details behind this hoax online a few hours ago. So far, I'm definitely fighting a losing battle in relation to this hoax. That's why I thought I'd start a thread here to highlight the facts behind it. (I don't generally start a new thread each time I upload my notes to a webpage about the facts behind an infamous UFO video...).

Anyway, photographs of a "UFO mothership" that "appears semi-cloaked" which was supposedly seen by "multiple witnesses" over India, Brazil, China and elsewhere prompted several articles online in October 2015, including one on the website of The Express (a British tabloid newspaper). Some of the articles claimed that these were genuine photographs, and not edited, since a person is seen pointing at the object in one of the pictures.

Here is one of the photos over India:


Here is the same "UFO mothership" over China and elsewhere:




Videos featuring some of the photos have also appeared on Youtube:


In fact, as I detailed at this link, the "UFO mothership" seen in the photographs is a piece of computer artwork created in 2006 by Jukka Korhonen from Finland. He called that piece "V for Victory". (Jukka is a fan of that television series).





The photographs circulated online in 2015 simply combine (or "composite") the UFO artwork into mundane photographs.

This can be done in a matter of minutes (indeed, sometimes in a matter of seconds) using software such as Adobe's Photoshop.

Creating such "composite" images has become much easier in the last few years, with mobile telephone software (or "apps") now being sold which come with images of "UFOs" which can automatically be added to photographs taken with a mobile telephone.

Incidentally, I found that Jukka Korhonen's "V for Victory" was the source of the UFO in these photographs in just a few minutes with kind assistance on Facebook from Curt Collins and Gilles Fernandez. As part of the relevant discussion on Facebook, French researcher Jerome Beau brought to my attention the fact that this UFO mothership" artwork created by Jukka Korhonen forms part of the "EndWar" series released for the "Camera360" mobile telephone app to make it even easier to create fake UFO photos, which coincidentally was launched earlier this month...



When the Endwar series was launched by Camera360 in October 2015, the Camera360 page on Facebook included various samples of the "UFO" images which could be created using the images which accompany that app:




It seems to me a bit of a shame that various people published articles about this "UFO mothership", including on the website of a major British newspaper, without similarly doing a few minutes research as due diligence before promoting this nonsense...

More details, links and evidence are available at:
www.isaackoi.com...

No doubt we will get a bunch of threads here about this being a real ship and at least one that claims to have seen it personally though couldn't get a photo because they were driving, or a friend who never lies saw it and the photo is on the way....

Great research on this one and thanks for the heads up on the HOAX!

LOL - and South Africa just now.......

A picture of a giant, strange – looking circular item in the sky was shared on Facebook on Monday evening. The post said “N1 from Midrand today. Do u see what I see?” Could it be another SA UFO sighting or just a reflection of something else? Facebook user Dineo Motake posted an image of what looks like a spaceship on her Facebook profile late Monday evening

www.disclose.tv...

originally posted by: Sublimecraft
LOL - and South Africa just now.......

A picture of a giant, strange – looking circular item in the sky was shared on Facebook on Monday evening. The post said “N1 from Midrand today. Do u see what I see?” Could it be another SA UFO sighting or just a reflection of something else? Facebook user Dineo Motake posted an image of what looks like a spaceship on her Facebook profile late Monday evening

www.disclose.tv...

The invasion has begun.....guess we will have to recall Randy Quaid from Canada to help out....hopefully they have his meds all figured out now.

Given the rate at which this hoax is spreading, I'm probably wasting my time trying to fight back against it.

Oh well... we can probably expect more lazy hoaxes created using Camera360's "EndWar" filters soon.

It undermines the artists that put a lot of time and effort into their UFO creations when an app makes it this easy.

a reply to: IsaacKoi

Ah yes, the pernicious rise of the mobile hoaxer.

If ever there was a list of people who had done significant damage to the ability of people around the world to invest time and effort into UFO research, then folk such as made these images have to be near the top of that list.

a reply to: IsaacKoi

That second photo brings back memories of being among parents watching our son's baseball game. We were all sitting in the bleachers when a cloud started forming in the shape of a saucer. Of course it grabbed my attention because I've done a lot of research on UFO'S. I didn't say anything, but just watched how this cloud started forming a perfect saucer shape with a smaller flat dome shape on top. I looked over at my wife, and she was looking at the same thing. What's funny, is she's not into UFO's, but looked at me saying look at that, it looks like a UFO! I than looked over at the rest of the parents, and to my surprise their eyes were directed at the same cloud, . We all continued to stare at this thing until it finally dissipated. We all found it rather strange and had a good laugh.

a reply to: IsaacKoi

Great journalistic work, and thanks for sharing it with us.

a reply to: IsaacKoi
S&F as always Isaac.

I always ponder the long term effects of hoaxes like this. If the real thing ever shows up in our skies, anyone who wasn't there to see it, will shrug it off as just another hoax. One has to contemplate such an event, because it is conceivable if not probable. Sometimes I wonder if a little predictive programming is at play, but that's another thread altogether.

I always wondered what is in the mind of a hoaxer.

To me. Hoax is just another word for lie.

originally posted by: whyamIhere
I always wondered what is in the mind of a hoaxer.

Over the last decade or two, I've had contact with quite a few UFO hoaxers. The motives of these individuals have varied considerably.

(1) Some companies use UFO hoaxes to promote their products. Faking a UFO video can be a relatively cheap and easy way of getting publicity.

(2) Many people created hoaxes simply for a laugh. Many within ufology doubt others would put in the effort necessary to, say, create a Photoshopped image or a video composited using Adobe After Effects merely as a joke. However, the amount of effort involved is generally FAR less than most people seem to think.

(3) Some artists and graphics professionals create hoaxed UFO videos to showcase their skills at creating CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) and related techniques, such as video compositing. Many computer graphics artists that have hoaxed UFO videos give links to their hoaxes on their website to demonstrate their talents.

(4) Art : Apart from the obvious example of crop-circle makers, several UFO videos and events have been hoaxed by individuals that considered they were creating works of art. The audience response is part of the art-work. Several crop-circle hoaxers have branched out into this type of UFO "artwork" in the last decade or two.

(5) Scientific experimentation : There have been a few interesting hoaxes which (at least according to the hoaxers) were done primarily to test the responses of witnesses and ufologists, i.e. they were conducting an experiment. The best known such experiment is the Cradle Hill hoax (referred to in some of the post above as "the Warminster hoax", which is potentially confusing since there were several alleged hoaxes at the Warminster "hotspot"). That one is discussed in quite a few articles online (particularly on the Magonia website, with D I Simpson writing at least two articles giving the background to the hoax) and in about a dozen books that I've noted. Many of those that claim to be conducting an experiment, however, seem to have had a big grin on their faces when talking about their hoax and done precious little to publish any results of their “experiments”.

(6) Money – Apart from advertisers paid to create viral videos and also professionals hoping to make money indirectly by getting work by showcasing their talents, I don't think many UFO hoaxers expect to make much money directly from people viewing their hoaxes. Plain mischief is far more common... However, at least some characters in the history of ufology seem to be have been prepared to lie in order to make money from their hoaxes. Some Youtube channels are dominated by hoaxed UFO videos, generating a considerable number of views. At least one enterprising team of UFO hoaxers offers services to people interested in their videos, e.g. offering to add a UFO to any footage you supply to them.

originally posted by: Klassified
Sometimes I wonder if a little predictive programming is at play, but that's another thread altogether.

Well, that's a thread I may post at some point.

During the last couple of years, I've spent quite a bit of time looking into similar suggestions.

I think that is the most informative reply I have ever received...Thanks

I now understand at least why a small company might do it for advertising.

On a small advertising budget, this might be a great way to get attention.

My favorite hoax was balloon boy...I was on the edge of my seat.

originally posted by: IsaacKoi
The latest image in the relevant series of hoaxes now has 2,148 shares on Facebook after being on Facebook for just 21 hours (about 700 of those shares being just within the last hour, i.e. the speed at which it is being shared has been increasing).

That photo now has over 3,100 shares on Facebook, after being online less than 24 hours.

a reply to: IsaacKoi

Viral marketing for independence day 2? Those first three 'photos' are clearly the ships from Independence day.

How stupid do these hoaxers think we are? what bugs me is there is a number of organizations that have been looking at UFO photos for decades and instead of seeking them out folks will post a photo and ask the obvious question to people who may or may not know what they are looking at.

If I catch a bug that I can't identify, I'm not going to post a photo of it on facebook and wait for responses, I'm going to take it to an entomologist.

originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: IsaacKoi
S&F as always Isaac.

I always ponder the long term effects of hoaxes like this. If the real thing ever shows up in our skies, anyone who wasn't there to see it, will shrug it off as just another hoax. One has to contemplate such an event, because it is conceivable if not probable. Sometimes I wonder if a little predictive programming is at play, but that's another thread altogether.

Welcome to the whitewash.

originally posted by: trifecta

originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: IsaacKoi
S&F as always Isaac.

I always ponder the long term effects of hoaxes like this. If the real thing ever shows up in our skies, anyone who wasn't there to see it, will shrug it off as just another hoax. One has to contemplate such an event, because it is conceivable if not probable. Sometimes I wonder if a little predictive programming is at play, but that's another thread altogether.

Welcome to the whitewash.

Are you saying you think it's real, and that this thread is a coverup? If so, take into consideration that the exact same shaped image is now showing up everywhere in the world and being photographed from the exact same angle (and not being shown on any newscast or, at the time it happened, any live cellcast) and, as the OP has shown, that the picture of the object itself is quite old, if not ancient, in internet-time. If you think it's real, do you think this a little or are you convinced? Related, I love that vid from a few years ago that was all CGIéd even though it looked real (a UFO caught in heavy electrical wires for a moment was one of the scenes).

a reply to: IsaacKoi

Well spotted! The similarity of the initial photos was a strong red flag and kudos for finding the original artwork.

I could do a fairly decent photoshop of that using transparent layers for similar effect and I am far from being an expert!

Peace,
AB

originally posted by: Aleister

originally posted by: trifecta

originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: IsaacKoi
S&F as always Isaac.

I always ponder the long term effects of hoaxes like this. If the real thing ever shows up in our skies, anyone who wasn't there to see it, will shrug it off as just another hoax. One has to contemplate such an event, because it is conceivable if not probable. Sometimes I wonder if a little predictive programming is at play, but that's another thread altogether.

Welcome to the whitewash.

Are you saying you think it's real, and that this thread is a coverup? If so, take into consideration that the exact same shaped image is now showing up everywhere in the world and being photographed from the exact same angle (and not being shown on any newscast or, at the time it happened, any live cellcast) and, as the OP has shown, that the picture of the object itself is quite old, if not ancient, in internet-time. If you think it's real, do you think this a little or are you convinced? Related, I love that vid from a few years ago that was all CGIéd even though it looked real (a UFO caught in heavy electrical wires for a moment was one of the scenes).

I guess I was being vague, lol.

No, I don't believe it's a real ufo. I do believe this app will do immeasurable damage to the research and correspondence community looking for disclosure. If a simple app can create hoaxed anomalies, then elaborate cover ups of true encounters will be a thing of the past. Previously, you at least needed some shill scientist to construct some pseudo science justification to cause or expensive cgi for misinformation campaigns. Now it's a free phone app to debunk everything. Measures and countermeasures spinning round and round.

Well I guess we need to fight fire with fire. Who's going to be a good altruistic Samaritan and come out with a viable infrared viewer phone app?

originally posted by: whyamIhere
I think that is the most informative reply I have ever received...Thanks

I now understand at least why a small company might do it for advertising.

On a small advertising budget, this might be a great way to get attention.

My favorite hoax was balloon boy...I was on the edge of my seat.

I still remember the day I saw the first ... flying lawnmower: