The Grifter is a meme and urban legend hoax created by the_solipsist !wYl0Ob/Jlo on 4chan’s /x/, who has since admitted that the video and the legend surrounding it are his own creations.

the_solipsist !wYl0Ob/Jlo created the initial thread on August 10, 2009, asking if any users of /x/ had heard of or seen a video known as The Grifter. He claimed that the video had disturbed him greatly, “like it ruined something deep down within [his] soul”. He then, by his own later admission, posted anonymous replies validating his claims that the video had existed, and also claimed that the video had emerged in 2008 on 4chan’s /x/ and had been quickly buried by people who felt it too disturbing to share. In addition, other posters unknown to him “acting in the interest of [his] efforts” corroborated the story, saying they, too, had seen the video. Soon after, the thread became a flurry of debate on whether or not the video existed and where a link to it could be found. Later that day, the_solipsist produced the now-famous image featuring a screencap of the thread and three images purported to be from The Grifter video, which was quickly posted on 4chan’s /b/ and several other boards through the internet, igniting The Grifter story into full-fledged mayhem.

Full image can be viewed in the Gallery

Full image can also be viewed here.

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The Mary Celeste was a brigantine merchant ship notably discovered in December 1872 in the Atlantic Ocean unmanned and apparently abandoned, despite the fact that the weather was fine and her crew had been experienced and able seamen. The Mary Celeste was in seaworthy condition and still under sail heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar. She had been at sea for a month and had over six months’ worth of food and water on board. Her cargo was virtually untouched and the personal belongings of passengers and crew were still in place, including valuables. The crew was never seen or heard from again. Their disappearance is often cited as the greatest maritime mystery of all time.

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The Hum is a generic name for a series of phenomena involving a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming noise not audible to all people. Hums have been reported in various geographical locations. In some cases a source has been located. A Hum on the Big Island of Hawaii, typically related to volcanic action, is heard in locations dozens of miles apart. The local Hawaiians also say the Hum is most often heard by men. The Hum is most often described as sounding somewhat like a distant idling diesel engine. Typically the Hum is difficult to detect with microphones, and its source and nature are hard to localize.

The Hum is sometimes prefixed with the name of a locality where the problem has been particularly publicized: e.g., the “Bristol Hum”, the “Taos Hum” or the “Bondi Hum”.

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An extremely compelling account of alien abduction that took place in 1987 in the Ilkey Moor, Yorkshire, U.K. is a unique case which may include one of the very few photographs taken of a live alien being. The main character and only witness of a UFO and alien being is one Philip Spencer, a retired policeman. He claims to have been taken aboard an unidentifed flying object, and snap one photograph of an unknown being.

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Just the thought of alien abduction makes most of us turn away in confusion and disbelief. However, we must confront this issue, as it is an integral part of the UFO mystery. Though abduction itself may seem unlikely, some abductions fall into the truly bizarre category. One of these cases is the abduction of Betty Andreasson that occurred on the night of January 25, 1967, in the town of South Ashburnham, Massachusetts. This riveting case has become a mainstay of UFO literature.

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