One of our readers who goes by BC alerted us that last month’s “MUFON – Strange Beings Observed” report turned out to be some hoax.

It’s great that MUFON moved in quickly and investigated that claim. It’s ridiculous that people have this much time on their hands and decide to concoct such a childish prank.

Thanks BC!

Full source: Examiner

Examiner – Roger Marsh

If you plan on hoaxing a UFO report this season – don’t do it on Fletcher Gray’s turf.

He’s good.

The Texas Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) Field Investigator resolved Case # 21440 – “A bright light that descended to the ground and left a mark.”

The Grand Falls, Ward County, case from January 9 is quite a story – enough to stir the ranks within MUFON, including STAR Team Manager and SIP Project Coordinator Richard Lang.

When Lang steps into the picture, he has the power to order scientists and investigators onto the scene immediately. But those orders are not made lightly.

The story unfolded January 11 in the MUFON witness reporting database when yet another Texas case from the same general area revealed a UFO landing – this time by what appeared to be sweet church-going folks out for a drive after evening services. By gosh we even get to know that they stopped briefly to purchase milk, Pepsi, and a pack of cigarettes. (I would have nixed the cigarettes, though, and included an apple pie.) But as the couple approaches Grandfalls, the wife points out an “intensely bright, white light” in the sky. The rest of the story unfolds like a scene from a Spielberg movie with details like “the old power station” and “a large shiny object floating.” They even go back to the scene the following morning to find “a big black circle” on the ground where the saucer landed.

Enter Fletcher Gray.

Now you have to understand the serious nature of the witness reporting database for MUFON. This is not a play area. This is not where you practice fiction techniques for class next week. A trained national team is reading these reports twenty-four-seven. Phone calls are made. Alerts are placed. People are woken up. The preliminary investigation process moves to action.

Behind the scenes – what you as the public cannot see – are the personal details witnesses must give up. These are details that remain private for the trained and certified investigator’s eyes only so that they can conduct research into the case. In this instance, the first clue was a Yahoo email address that was created on the same day that the report was made.

The phone number for the report turned out to be a local business and there was no match between the name behind the email address and anyone working with or associated with that business.

A deputy for the Ward County Sheriff’s office was contacted who said that no reports came to his office on this case nor were there any UFO reports recently for the greater Grandfalls area. And the “old power plant” on Fifth Street – does not exist.

Case solved. But we do expect the writer to gain at least a “B” on the narrative in class this week. All kidding aside, please take your fiction somewhere that counts. There are many fiction web magazines and science fiction sources that would appreciate your characters and their antics. But not inside the MUFON reporting database. You caused a chain-reaction where good people and excellent public servants went into action when their time could have been spent in worthwhile endevours.

“This is the the third such report originating from the same general area in Texas, describing similar landing events, where witness contact information could not be validated,” Lang said.

Read more Examiner“>here.