Sunday, April 29, 2012

App Atrocities

It's a lovely day today, but I'm in a foul mood.  Why?  Because instead of frolicking in the sunshine among the birds and butterflies, I'm inside at my computer, compelled to address some blatant fraud.

A few people who I respect in the field have been attacked for calling out a supposed ghost photo.   The "paranormal investigator" who presented it as real evidence hosts a radio show and even charges for classes in ghost hunting "certification".  (Toilet paper has the same validity as these certificates.)   When some detected the b.s., they did some research (you know, like REAL paranormal investigators are supposed to do!) and found that the ghostly WWII soldier in the picture is an authentic phone app.   So instead of showing an ounce of remorse or regret, the guy who presented it is instead attacking the credibility of those who called him out.

My paranormal friends list is much shorter today because it included some who supported this person either by liking the fraudulent picture or supporting his radio show.  It's one thing when people cling to orb photos out of ignorance or inexperience, but ghost apps are deliberate fraud.  They are created with the intent to fool others.  To be fair, it's not the ghost apps themselves that are the problem.  I can see how fun it can be to create such pictures for entertainment.  But when so-called "investigators" use them to intentionally deceive others (including clients) into thinking they caught something truly paranormal, that is overt, malicious fraud.  As I've said before, I don't have any respect for those who present, excuse, or "authenticate" such "evidence".

If you claim to be a paranormal investigator, please do some actual investigating before declaring ghost pictures as paranormal.  Be aware that there are a lot of these apps out there and they are constantly being updated to include new "ghosts".   Also be aware that sometimes honest clients have been fooled by friends or family using these apps in pranks.  It's up to us, as investigators, to check the validity of such (actually, ANY) pictures when they are presented to us.

Does the ghost in the photo below look familiar?   If so, it's not because he is haunting several locations from his life, it's because he's a phone app.  So if you see a picture with this "ghost" in it, you know it's a fake and any the team or investigator who posts it a "evidence"is not reliable.





Thank you to Debunk Paranormal for sharing this picture with me.  http://wwps.grou.ps/home

5 comments:

  1. There really is an app for everything huh?

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's not even a good fake. Who would defend this image? It would take me 5 minutes in Photoshop to generate something more convincing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes Paperback Princess, there is. ;)

    Hi Jim. The picture above is just an example using that particular phone app. The photo that the "investigator" presented was supposedly taken on a battlefield during an investigation. Unfortunately, it actually fooled some trusting people.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow. You can always ask me question about these supernatural things. I'm from Cambodia, currently living in the u.s., and believe it or not we do think this stuff exist... for me I think it only exist in Cambodia though, not in America. How weird am I right?
    Anyway, i have a blog too
    http://thewriterlkc.blogspot.com/
    just checking out my Cambodian food things :)
    ur blog is nice :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Kesser: These things may exist, but if people call themselves investigators or researchers they need to rule out other explanations. The picture above is only one example of how people fake "evidence" of ghosts.

    I will check out your blog too!

    ReplyDelete