Hacker Tried to Bamboozle Virginia College Students

Nov. 4, 2008, 1:20 p.m. EST

At about 1 A.M. last night, students at George Mason University in northern Virginia got an email that appeared to be from the schoolâs provost with the subject line âElection Day Update.â The election has been moved to Wednesday, it read, adding, âWe apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.â

About seven hours later, the real GMU provost emailed, assuring the schoolâs approximately 30,000 students that Election Day had not changed. A hacker had been responsible for the first message. The university spokesman tells the Washington Post the university has been fielding calls all morning from students and parents upset or confused. He also tells TPMmuckraker that campus police are working with outside law enforcement to look into the hoax.

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