Hoax

[kingsmen26]

Has there ever been a cache that was a complete hoax. I mean has there ever been a cache that someone has posted but there never was a cache at the posted location? Or has there been a multi where the final was a hoax?

[+Will+Bill]

It sometimes seems like it when there is no cache at the coords.

[kingsmen26]

It sometimes seems like it when there is no cache at the coords.

By no cache do you mean that it never was there or it was just not findable?

[+Team GPSaxophone]

It sometimes seems like it when there is no cache at the coords.

By no cache do you mean that it never was there or it was just not findable?

That would be hard to prove, as some caches are plundered before the first cacher comes along looking for it.

[+DustyJacket]

Yes.

There was a thread (a year ago or so?) where a hider teamed up with other cachers in the area.

He "planted" a cache that was not there and all the other cachers registered "finds". Their logs spoke of how hard it was.

 

Of course, the target of the hoax (some super cacher and major FTF person) didn't find the cache after many tries and was getting more frustrated. they finally told him, I think at a party.

[kingsmen26]

Yes.

There was a thread (a year ago or so?) where a hider teamed up with other cachers in the area.

He "planted" a cache that was not there and all the other cachers registered "finds". Their logs spoke of how hard it was.

 

Of course, the target of the hoax (some super cacher and major FTF person) didn't find the cache after many tries and was getting more frustrated.  they finally told him, I think at a party.

Thats pretty diabolical (spelling) but funny. Any that weren't a group effort?

Edited January 4, 2004 by kingsmen26

[BassoonPilot]

Has there ever been a cache that was a complete hoax. I mean has there ever been a cache that someone has posted but there never was a cache at the posted location?

 

There was a thread (a year ago or so?) where a hider teamed up with other cachers in the area.

He "planted" a cache that was not there and all the other cachers registered "finds". Their logs spoke of how hard it was.

 

Of course, the target of the hoax (some super cacher and major FTF person) didn't find the cache after many tries and was getting more frustrated.  they finally told him, I think at a party

 

That would be an extremely unethical thing to do, and would warrant an equally unethical solution: If that were ever to happen to you, I would suggest you pick up every cache placed by the "hider" and every cache placed by every "finder" and deposit them into a garbage dumpster somewhere.

 

Undoubtedly, they would whine like babies about how they were 'only playing an innocent prank.' HaHa! Poor widdle babies. "Reap what you sow."

Edited January 4, 2004 by BassoonPilot

[+pnew]

Man BassoonPilot that wasn't you they did it too was it???

[+Team Tierra Buena]

West of the Pecos (The Real Thing), now archived, started out as a prank on Team Wyle E, they of the infamous yellow Jeep (and the even more infamous Yellow Jeep Locationless Cache). After the truth came out and the victims invited the perpetrators over for drinks (part of the gag was that the cache was supposedly placed right around the corner from Team Wyle E's house), a physical cache was placed in the vicinity.

 

The hoax is now almost two years old, so you really need to read the log entries up to about 12 February 2002 which is when Wyle E was let in on the gag. But many of the cachers who were in on it (including our team) deleted our fake find logs after the real one was placed and logged (I think at the time we didn't realize we could have converted them to notes and preserved them for posterity).

 

You can find out more about how the hoax was executed by starting at this page on the Arizona Geocaching website.

 

Steve

[+DustyJacket]

That was the cache I was referring to.

Reading the story and the logs was a real hoot.

 

It is nice how friends do that to one another.....

[+crzycrzy]

GPS $159.99 on Amazon

Gas money $179.00 in So Cal.

Getting to a traditional cache and finding that it is now a locationless cache.

Priceless

[+The Leprechauns]

I offer a link, without comment, to This Cache, which was quite the topic of conversation when I attended an event cache over in that area in November.

[+Huntnlady]

Take a look at this cache, Sunken R'lyeh, and tell me what you see.

[BassoonPilot]

A fake cache page on somebody's personal website? The waypoint does not appear to be recognized by geocaching.com.

Edited January 4, 2004 by BassoonPilot

[evilrooster]

Take a look at this cache, Sunken R'lyeh, and tell me what you see.

Fantastic. I'll get my bathyscape ready right away.

 

I'm surprised none of the logs end with long, drawn-out gurgling screams, though...

[+DustyJacket]

GCHPL could not have been a possible waypoint number back then. "F" was the highest letter used.

 

I can't figure out the purpose of that page.

[+BeachBuddies]

"GCHPL" refers to H.P. Lovecraft. The page seems to be a tribute to his creations, such as Cthulhu (dare I mention it!)

 

The H. P. Lovecraft Archive

 

Great books, if you haven't read them yet.

[+mtn-man]

Not a cache!

 

This cache was pretty controversial since the person who placed it appears to have taken and kept quite a number of travel bugs. One of them happened to be mine. (My poor Wonder Woman, may she R.I.P.) The consensus from the admins as we discussed it was that there never was a cache at this location and it was all a hoax. NC Ron&Dianne did a great job giving the cache hunt a shot and the local approver went above and beyond the call of duty on this one.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

Yes.

There was a thread (a year ago or so?) where a hider teamed up with other cachers in the area.

He "planted" a cache that was not there and all the other cachers registered "finds". Their logs spoke of how hard it was.

 

Of course, the target of the hoax (some super cacher and major FTF person) didn't find the cache after many tries and was getting more frustrated. they finally told him, I think at a party.

At first I was ready to condem such a practice, then it began to really appeal to me.

 

I'll get help.

[kingsmen26]

I am not condoning (spelling) this practice in the least. I think it would take a fairly mean hearted person to do. On the other hand, the group gag was quite funny. I hope that this doesn't happen to anyone again.

[+MissJenn]

Take a look at this cache, Sunken R'lyeh, and tell me what you see.

Just in case anyone misses the obvious on this one: please take a look at the URL, a.k.a. the actual website's address.

 

And, Lep? I have no comment as well.

[+DustyJacket]

I am not condoning (spelling) this practice in the least. I think it would take a fairly mean hearted person to do. On the other hand, the group gag was quite funny. I hope that this doesn't happen to anyone again.

I just hope it doesn't happen to me !

 

(Not that I am a threat. I'll be under 100 found for my first year. Some of the hardcore cachers do that on a wekend.)

[+Team Tierra Buena]

I am not condoning (spelling) this practice in the least. I think it would take a fairly mean hearted person to do. On the other hand, the group gag was quite funny. I hope that this doesn't happen to anyone again.

From the time the hoax cache was listed until the time the cat was let out of the bag and a physical cache was placed was less than a week. One concern of the pranksters was that "innocent bystanders" would seek the hoax cache.

 

A week may seem like a long time now, but there weren't that many cachers around in the olden days (two years ago).

 

Steve

[+FarSideX]

I had to draw a diagram how this 1 gallon container was hidden for the seekers of this cache

At the following event cache they told me that they were considering placing a false cache as a 'friendly' revenge. I suggested they come up with a tough cache and give hints to everyone but me. They haven't done that, yet.

[+Polgara]

I offer a link, without comment, to This Cache, which was quite the topic of conversation when I attended an event cache over in that area in November.

[+TeamK-9]

You know this almost makes me want to pull a prank on someone, but alas, I know no other geocachers, and so it wouldn't quite work...

[Dinoprophet]

Hey, fake postings could be a great new twist to the game! Don't attack an idea just because it's new! Have an open mind! These are forward-thinking people who are bringing geocaching to a new level!

 

*cough cough*

 

Seriously, it'd be a decent prank if it could somehow be directed at a single person, but I'd be really PO'd if I wasted what little caching time I have on a hoax.

[+TeamK-9]

Who was attacking the idea?

 

Cause I know I wasn't, or at least my post wasn't meant to, and I'm pretty sure it doesn;t even look like i was attacking the idea...

[+sept1c_tank]

Very entertaining stuff. Kinda the opposite of the p1rate mania.

[+GeckoGeek]

That would be an extremely unethical thing to do, and would warrant an equally unethical solution:

I think I'd put a cache at that location and then make the joker wonder why he suddenly had "finds" by people who weren't in on the joke.

[martmann]

That would be an extremely unethical thing to do, and would warrant an equally unethical solution:

I think I'd put a cache at that location and then make the joker wonder why he suddenly had "finds" by people who weren't in on the joke.

Or put 4-5 caches in the area of a real cache, then see how the logs are different (like 5 different FTFs, etc.). No, I would never do that.

[BassoonPilot]

put 4-5 caches in the area of a real cache, then see how the logs are different (like 5 different FTFs, etc.). No, I would never do that.

In my region, something similar has happened on two or three occasions when kind-hearted, well-meaning individuals replaced "missing" caches that were not actually missing. In each case, the original cache hadn't been rehidden in its intended spot.

[kingsmen26]

I didn't start out looking for ideas but ..........................hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Some of you are thinking pretty devious.