Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. Unless it comes in the form of a fake press release, then there is nothing but trouble for the companies that get spoofed.
Phony press releases, media kits, and other bogus company communications—issued mainly by stock manipulators, political pranksters, and activists—may not be an everyday problem, but it is becoming a more common one. And in an age of split-second “tweets” and speedily shared Facebook posts, inauthentic company messages are increasingly making their way past gatekeepers at distribution companies and Website content aggregators, and even into the articles of careless reporters.
