HOAX is a Nepbericht
It is a term that indicates that the press release, the news report, the email, the letter, or the video is fake. It is an English term for trick, scam, polish and probably descends from Hocus-pocus. Crop circles are probably the most famous form of a hoax. This is a (large) group of people who are fooled into thinking that it is all serious. Sometimes it is a joke, but often there is also a more malignant aspect.