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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