Fake Harry Potter Spoilers Flood the Internet

With Harry Potter mania hitting the states this July, it's no wonder that the hype has spilled over to mischief-makers as well. They're committing one of the ultimate Harry Potter sins. They're releasing fake spoilers, and some die-hard Potter fans are finding these spoilers to be true, as they are spreading like wildfire on the internet. So here's a heads up on what's fake and what's real, so you won't be fooled by them too.

One site that recently released a fake spoiler on Tuesday was http://www.zendurl.com/h/hallows/ . This site claimed to be the official seven-page epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Plus the site had scanned images of the table of contents of the book. http://spoilerboy.googlepages.com/home had a similiar spoiler listed on it back on Monday. Luckily both sites have been temporarily closed down.

Another "fake" was a hacker who went by the name "Gabriel." This mischief maker claimed to have broken into the data system of British publisher Bloomsbury PLC and posted tons of information and lines from the book at his website: http://seclists.org/misc/harrypotterspoilers.html. Unfortunately, this site has not been shut down. If you take a look, it's filled with fake spoilers, including the death of Hermione at the hands of Voldemort.

Gabriel's fake antics have apparently worked their "magic" too.

"I went to http://seclists.org/misc/harrypotterspoilers.html and saw that Hermione dies. I literally cried because I thought my favorite character was going to be killed off. A few days later I started seeing more and more spoiler sites pop up. Now I don't believe a word of it. I feel awful for believing that site, but only the book will tell what happens," said Potter fan Julie Windrow.

http://www.zendurl.com/h/hallows/, another fake spoiler site, completely contradicts "Gabriel"'s hacked spoiler site. This site proposes a different fate for Ron and other characters in the book. So which is real? Neither of them is likely to be legit. This site proposes that Ron, Snape, Lupin, Voldemort, and Percy die. No where does it mention Hermione.

So what are fans to do?

Harry Potter fan Eve Granger offers some advice: "Personally, I'm avoiding the internet at all costs. I refuse to get lured into these spoilers. But the funny thing is that they're not even spoilers when they're fake, they're just amusing. My advice to all Potter fans is to just wait it out. I know these spoiler sites can be tempting, and it's okay to look at them. Just don't convince yourself of anything until you get the book on July 21st. Obviously, JK Rowling's word is better than some fake on the internet."