Kaycee Nicole

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Kaycee Nicole (technically Kaycee Nicole Swenson) was a fictional person created by Debbie Swenson of Kansas, who was the subject of an Internet hoax in 2001.

Contents

[edit] Background

Nicole was presented as a high school or college student suffering from frequent and severe health problems, and had an online diary with a large Internet following. After it was "reported" that she had died of leukemia, triggering an outpouring of condolences and grief from her readers, some wondered whether she was in fact a real person. A grassroots investigation — much of it recorded in a contentious threaded discussion on MetaFilter — revealed that she did not exist, and had been an elaborate role-playing exercise by her adult "mother."[1] Though Nicole had accepted some gifts from readers, local and federal authorities determined there was not enough evidence for a fraud investigation.[2][3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Thread on MetaFilter start May 18, 2001
  2. ^ They Think They Feel Your Pain June 6, 2001
  3. ^ Lessons from lies and links: Medicine and the Internet June 25, 2001

[edit] See also

[edit] External links