claim: Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling exacted revenge on a Twitter critic by monitoring his finances for two years and then buying his home.
origin: On 23 August 2017, comedy web site Funny or Die posted an article appearing to report that Harry PotterÂ series author J.K. Rowling had taken vengeance on a Twitter critic by buying his home. â€œTwo years ago,â€ the article says, â€œRowling tweeted this, in support of refugees coming to Europe.â€ The article includes the following, which is a real tweet posted by Rowling in September 2015: < If you canâ€™t imagine yourself in one of those boats, you have something missing. They are dying for a life worth living. #refugeeswelcome â€” J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 3, 2015 > The response included here is real: Â < Said the millionaire on her gold iphone in her mansion https://t.co/3Qh5eK6yZ6 â€” Luke (@lukekocura) September 4, 2015 > < The tweet picked up enough traction for Rowling to notice. So she tweeted this back at him, and most people assumed she was messing around. > She responded: < .@Lukekocura Iâ€™d type a longer retort, but these diamond buttons really hurt my fingers. pic.twitter.com/RJ19nIMd94 â€” J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 4, 2015 > The article veers into satire at this point with an entirely fabricated tweet. J.K. Rowling never responded to @lukekocura, vowing that she would own his â€œshackâ€ within two years. Nor did she then follow up two years later, bitterly inviting @lukekocura to visit his former home. The article also includes several details about â€œLuke Kocuraâ€, all of which are entirely fabricated for comedic effect. Despite being published on a comedy web site, the Funny or Die article appears to have fooled plenty of Twitter users. Â Â