Time to fess up...Yes, it was all a scam, but for good reason. I'm a writer (former contributor to MAD Magazine, among other embarrassments) and I've been working on an article about internet chat rooms, dating sites, MySpace, etc.
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When this all started I saw a golden opportunity to study people's reactions to the situation and how it could escalate with a bit of stirring. Yes, I am all three people as Darken pointed out (good show D!). There were also other plants in there as well.
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It was a unique view of internet nature when people can hide behind names and personas known only to them. As everyone uses an alias, I won't need a release or have to change names (although I might, just to be fair).
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Thanks again for all your wonderful input. It's really going to make a great article.