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69
dollar fine.196 Ultimately, she was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay approximately ten thousand dollars in restitution.197
Audrey Seiler and other women have fabricated stories of abduction and rape for the purpose of, according to psychologists, “crying wolf,” to get the attention of boyfriends and family members. According to psychologist Bonne Jacobson, “People who fake crimes are transforming feelings of invisibility into a fantasy that they may come to believe is reality. A “hoaxer” wins attention by playing the passive victim, similar to a person with Munchausen syndrome, who fakes an illness to get the attention of doctors or loved ones.”198 This may indicate the presence of a defined mental illness, requiring appropriate treatment. However, another psychologist believes that people who perpetrate large-scale deceptions are not necessarily in need of psychiatric help.199
One of the most notorious attention getter hoax cases was that of Jennifer Wilbanks, dubbed the “Runaway Bride.” In the last days of April 2005, Jennifer Wilbanks was out for a routine jog and apparently vanished. Her hometown of Duluth, Georgia commenced a massive search for her including more than one hundred police officers. The police and community groups as well as her family spent many grief stricken hours searching for clues in her whereabouts. Major Don
196 Neil Parmar, “Crying Wolf,” Parmar, Neil, “Crying Wolf,” Psychology Today, July/August 2004, Vol. 37, Iss. 4, p. 13.
197 Karla Tasgola Bruner, “Runaway Bride Will Face Music ‘You Just Can’t Lie to the Police,’ DA Says,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 26, 2005, p. A 1.
198 Ibid. I will leave the analysis of the relationship between Munchausen syndrome and attention getter hoaxes to the those trained in the field of psychology. I include the quote to illustrate that the study of hoaxes should not be limited to a single field of study, and to encourage others to undertake additional research on what motivates vipers.
199 Ibid.
Object Description
| Title | An argument for the criminal hoax |
| Author | Pellegrini, Laura A. |
| Author email | user1963@yahoo.com; teachpolsci@yahoo.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Political Science |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-08-20 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-10-13 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Renteln, Alison Dundes |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Wong, Janelle S. Newland, Chester A. |
| Abstract | Hoaxes are part of the fabric of history. While many provide humor and lighthearted joy, the criminal hoax does not. To date, researchers have included aspects of the criminal hoax in larger academic works. This is an original typology that sets forth the criminal hoax as a distinct part of the larger field of law and public policy. This work provides newly created definitions including four distinct categories of hoaxes: the monetary hoax, the attention getter hoax, the hate crime hoax and the racial hoax. It further illustrates these types with actual detailed accounts of hoaxes and provides insights to each one. It makes policy recommendations concerning the four categories of needs: 1. legislative action, 2. a nationwide statistical database of hoax events, 3. media involvement, and 4. law enforcement training and action to deal with criminal hoaxes. Finally, it recommends further research to identify the causes and motivations of vipers. The ultimate goal of this project is to find ways to eliminate criminal hoaxes. |
| Keyword | criminal hoax; hoax categories |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1659 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Pellegrini, Laura A. |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Pellegrini-2397 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Pellegrini-2397.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 75 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 69 dollar fine.196 Ultimately, she was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay approximately ten thousand dollars in restitution.197 Audrey Seiler and other women have fabricated stories of abduction and rape for the purpose of, according to psychologists, “crying wolf,” to get the attention of boyfriends and family members. According to psychologist Bonne Jacobson, “People who fake crimes are transforming feelings of invisibility into a fantasy that they may come to believe is reality. A “hoaxer” wins attention by playing the passive victim, similar to a person with Munchausen syndrome, who fakes an illness to get the attention of doctors or loved ones.”198 This may indicate the presence of a defined mental illness, requiring appropriate treatment. However, another psychologist believes that people who perpetrate large-scale deceptions are not necessarily in need of psychiatric help.199 One of the most notorious attention getter hoax cases was that of Jennifer Wilbanks, dubbed the “Runaway Bride.” In the last days of April 2005, Jennifer Wilbanks was out for a routine jog and apparently vanished. Her hometown of Duluth, Georgia commenced a massive search for her including more than one hundred police officers. The police and community groups as well as her family spent many grief stricken hours searching for clues in her whereabouts. Major Don 196 Neil Parmar, “Crying Wolf,” Parmar, Neil, “Crying Wolf,” Psychology Today, July/August 2004, Vol. 37, Iss. 4, p. 13. 197 Karla Tasgola Bruner, “Runaway Bride Will Face Music ‘You Just Can’t Lie to the Police,’ DA Says,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 26, 2005, p. A 1. 198 Ibid. I will leave the analysis of the relationship between Munchausen syndrome and attention getter hoaxes to the those trained in the field of psychology. I include the quote to illustrate that the study of hoaxes should not be limited to a single field of study, and to encourage others to undertake additional research on what motivates vipers. 199 Ibid. |
