Phuc Dat Bich admits hoax in Facebook name battle

An Australian calling himself Phuc Dat Bich, who made global headlines after saying he was fighting to use his real name on Facebook, admits it was hoax.

Mr Bich" said on Facebook his real name was "Joe Carr" (or perhaps joker).

He said what had started as a joke between friends "became a prank that made a fool out of the media".

But he said it also brought out the best in people and gave encouragement to people with "truly interesting and idiosyncratic names".

The hoaxer is of Vietnamese origin. His name when properly pronounced in Vietnamese, which is a tonal language, sounds like "Phoo Da Bi".

Hi said, Facebook "needs to understand that it is utterly impossible to legitimise a place where there will always be pranksters and tricksters".

Mr Bich/Carr said his "ordeal" had taught him "not to trust the credibility of the media" and that it "goes to show that an average joe like myself can con the biggest news sources with ease".

But he also praised the response to his prank saying it "didn't bring out the anger and darkness that we often see on the internet, but it brought a levity and humanity in a time we need it most."

It is not clear if he photoshopped his passport. Physically altering a valid passport would be illegal.

 BBC News