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".
Facebook have not responded to BBC requests for comment.
Phooled by a Joe Carr - Nga Pham, BBC Vietnamese
I have to admit I fell for the prank by Mr Bich Phuc Joe, or whoever he is.In the newsroom, dealing day-in-day-out with news that's often about disasters, both natural and man-made, the story of an unfortunately named person who thanked the community for their support seemed appealing.
Being Vietnamese, I knew that Bich was not a common surname (but not impossible) in Vietnam, but many immigrants change their names or get them in the wrong order when registering in their new countries. Vietnamese names are highly confusing to say the least.
After the story came out on the BBC News website, I received many emails from readers saying it had made them laugh - I hope they are still laughing now, even though we've all been hoaxed.
