Group activist behind GE hoax (AFP)

NEW YORK (AFP) - a group of activists took credit to extinguish a fake press release stating that General Electric decided to make a donation for a tax refund alleged 3.2 billion for the Treasury.

The Associated Press News Agency was among the media duped by the stunt developed, established by a group called US Uncut with the assistance of another person known as the yes men.

The hoax played on the recent criticism of GE on reports that he has not paid income U.S. takes last year despite scratching of the billions of dollars in net income.

"The USA has some terrible legislation that allows companies to not pay no tax, while American citizens get all their services stripped away," Mike Bonanno, Member of the men Yes, said in an e-mail message to AFP.

"It is a crime, and we need to change the laws of this country to make it happen do not, said Bonanno, which the yes men were also behind a hoax involving the oil company Chevron fooled a number of media last year."

False Wednesday press release was sent in an e-mail message that reproduces the GE logo and company slogan "GE: Imagination at work" and also included a link to a website like site of genuine corporate communications of GE.

"The press release claimed that GE Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt, in response to an"uproar", decided to make a donation of the tax refund of $ 3.2 billion to the Government to help offset cuts to save jobs in America".

A true spokesperson for GE, Ann Eisele, identified the release press as a "hoax", but not before it was adopted by a number of reputable news organizations.

"We did not receive a refund," said Eisele.

The AP wrote a short story based on the press release before withdrawing approximately half an hour later.

Publisher of business AP that Hal Ritter said in a history of AP that news agency "did not follow its own standards in this case to verify the authenticity of a press release."

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