WEB CHUTNEY

In January, a man posted to Facebook a screenshot of an Australian passport that appeared to show his full legal name was Phuc Dat Bich, claiming that he had been accused of “using a false and misleading name” and had his account shut down multiple times.

While many people are mispronouncing his Vietnamese name as an English insult, the correct pronunciation sounds more like “Phoo Da Bi”.

After gaining thousands of followers and supporters on Facebook, Bich revealed that Phuc Dat Bich was not his real name and was a hoax. “Mr Bich” said on Facebook (the post has been removed) his real name was “Joe Carr” (or perhaps joker).

He also said Facebook “needs to understand that it is utterly impossible to legitimise a place where there will always be pranksters and tricksters”. Mr Bich/Carr said his “ordeal” had taught him “not to trust the credibility of the media” and that it “goes to show that an average Joe like myself can con the biggest news sources with ease”.

Following this, a schoolmate from Deer Park Secondary College in Melbourne contacted Mashable with a school photo and proof that Phuc Dat Bich’s real name is Thien Nguyen.

1 man, 3 names? Too much handle!