![]( "David Rose fraud MDLS")
A deaf quadriplegic blogger who won the hearts of thousands before his sister announced he had died, has been exposed as a fraud. Check out the shocking details and photos here…
DailyMail — ‘David Rose’, a 24-year-old cerebral palsy sufferer, garnered legions of fans with his witty tweets and Facebook posts, which he said he typed using a Tobii computer that tracked his eye movement using infrared light. After his story gained national coverage, Rose’s sister ‘Nichole’ revealed online on October 11 that he had passed away, leading to an outpouring of grief and sympathy from across the internet.
![Ruse: The picture is actually of a man named Hunter Dunn and has appeared in news reports, pictured]()
But now a fellow blogger, who carried out web investigations after becoming suspicious of Rose, has exposed him as a fake, revealing just how he spun an intricate web of lies that fooled so many. After learning of Rose’s death and his ‘last blog post’, published by his sister on Friday, blogger Kristi-Anne began to question the story.
![False: 'Rose' had also uploaded this photo of him using his Tobii computer to type messages with his eyes]( "David Rose fraud MDLS")
Writing a post exposing the fraud, she asked how a paraplegic who could only type four words a minute could keep in such swift and consistent contact with followers online. She also wondered how life must be for someone who was deaf and unable to sign as a result of his cerebral palsy – yet also noted how he described his friends and relationships with such detail.
![Revealed: But the blogger also found that picture was of Hunter Dunn from the computer's website]( "David Rose fraud MDLS")
She then found that the photo Rose had been using was actually of Hunter Dunn, another young man with cerebral palsy, whose picture appears on the Tobii site.
![New persona: He wrote a blog, tweeted and posted Facebook messages, gathering thousands of fans. He spoke a lot about his sister 'Nichole' - who he now admits is also made up]()
Kristi-Anne was unable to discover Dunn’s Facebook page, and noted that it was he who deserved the real praise for being an inspiration man, rather than the fake ‘Rose’. She added that most of Rose’s tweets had been sent using TweetDeck, a social media dashboard where users can view multiple messages at once and send their own.
![Hospital suck - but life doesn't: David appreciates the moments he has]()
After sending her findings to theCHIVE, who had followed Rose’s ‘inspirational’ story, they agreed it made no sense that Rose could be using this technology. Reporter John Resig wrote:
‘Somebody using a Tobii ocular reader would never use TweetDeck. But somebody posing as Dave could easily use the Deck.’
Resig added on his own post that one of his friends, who had been in close contact with Rose, flew to Los Angeles to attend his funeral after learning about his death. But Nichole Rose made her excuses and refused to meet the friend. TheCHIVE also discovered there was no death certificate for Rose.
![Dave appreciates the care his family give to him, and amuses followers with stories of their life]()
After Kristi-Anne published her blog post, a blogger immediately commented on it, admitting that they had carried out the hoax – and lauding its positive effects. Yet, while identifying themselves as Nichole, the blogger added that that person was also a character – and her pictures were of an actress from a music video. They wrote:
‘No celebrity or fame was intended in this ruse; it all came quite fast and was a total surprise. Up until recently he only had a handful of online friends. The quick and furious fame is actually what brought about the end of it all.In hindsight it probably would have been better just to shut it all down and have everyone wonder what the hell happened, but the final post was meant to have the effect it did.
To inspire people to love and live a better life, and the public knowledge that it came under this false pretense takes it all away. I hope that people who were moved by it still live by it, but it seems unlikely. It’s possible that more damage has been done in your reveal than in the original deception.’
He added that he was ‘just a guy with a twisted psyche who realizes he’s caused a lot of damage’ but that he would not reveal his identity as he didn’t want to ruin his life.
![Cheated: 'David' regularly posted tweets - both inspiring and witty - that fooled his readers]()
TheCHIVE added:
‘We’ve all been victimized by this disturbed individual. It never dawned on us that somebody with such an established internet footprint would actually be mascarading as a deaf, physically handicap person. It would seem absurd to believe somebody would go so far as to fake a death.’
The revelations come after the fraud, who claimed ‘David’ lived in a residential home for disabled people in Orange County, California, posted a ‘last blog post’ on Friday.
![Goodbye Dave: One Twitter used posted a photograph of her and her daughter blowing a kiss in tribute to David]( "David Rose fraud MDLS")
![Users are sending Dave their own pictures, making virtual friendships over Twitter]()
Maintaining the ruse of deafness, he added:
‘First of all want to ask if there is sound in heaven. i guess there is but not sure if i want it! Here on earth i been happy to be deaf and nobody seem to be very good at describe what is sound, so i have not miss it. but i guess if that part of the deal then i have to take what i get!’
Upon learning of David’s death saddened followers of his social media postings wrote heartfelt tributes to him.
![Reality: The blogger, who has not been identified, stole the pictures of a man named Hunter Dunn]( "David Rose fraud MDLS")
The blogger, who has not been identified, stole the pictures of a man named Hunter Dunn (front)
‘Goodnight Dave and thank you so much for just being you brother,’ commented on Twitter user under the handle @AlbusQ.
‘In honor of David Rose, Am going to follow his advice and reach out to someone I haven’t in awhile,’ wrote @juanmagdaraog.
Many others posted messages with the words ‘RIP’ and ‘goodnight’, while the Chive’s editor Mac Faulkner wrote: ‘We lost a good man today. @daveonwheels you inspired a lot of people and your incredible personality will live on forever.’
