'Phuc Dat Bich' Facebook Name Complaint Reportedly A Hoax (CORRECTED)

The man originally claimed that he was been banned from the site for being named ... well, you know by now.

CORRECTION: A man claiming that Facebook denied him posting privileges under the name "Phuc Dat Bich" admits that he perpetrated an elaborate social media prank, according to the Guardian.

"What started as a joke between friends, became a prank that made a fool out of the media and brought out the best in the people who reached out to me," he said in the Facebook status update, signed with the name Joe Carr -- another pseudonym and likely a play on words for "joker".

The user behind the profile told Guardian Australia his actual name was Tin Le, a 23-year-old from Melbourne, Australia. However, he refused the Guardian's requests for an interview, saying, “Well, you’ll just have to have faith and run with what you have.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

"Phuc Dat Bich" is not a 12-year-old's poorly spelled insult.

He's a 23-year-old Vietnamese-Australian who asserts he had his Facebook profile shut down multiple times over accusations he was using a fake name.

To prove his namesake to the world, he shared an image of his passport online.

Originally posted in January, the photo surged in popularity online this week, with more than 128,000 likes and 68,000 shares on Facebook as of Friday.

"I find it highly irritating the fact that nobody seems to believe me when I say that my full legal name is how you see it. I've been accused of using a false and misleading name of which I find very offensive. Is it because I'm Asian? Is it?" Bich posted.

"Having my fb shut down multiple times and forced to change my name to my 'real' name, so just to put it out there. My name. Yours sincerely, Phuc Dat Bich," he shared.

In case you're wondering how the name is actually pronounced (hint: it's not what English phonics would have you think), check out this helpful video:

Bich did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post. However, a friend of his confirmed to The Herald Sun that Phuc Dat Bich is indeed the man's real name.

Ironically, if he were to change his name on Facebook to avoid getting banned, he would be violating the site's real-name policy.

The controversial rule requires Facebook users to go by their "authentic name" on the site, rather than a pseudonym. After backlash against the policy, in October the social media giant started allowing users flagged for false names to defend their reasons for using the name they do, according to Engadget. Facebook also now requires users who report fake names to provide additional details about why they are flagging the account.

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