**VERDICT: FAKE (Satire/Clickbait)**
**The Viral Snippet:**
> **"BREAKING: ‘Mina the Hollower’ Identified as Real Cryptid by University of Ohio — Creature Demands Back Taxes"**
>
> A team of parapsychologists from Ohio State University has allegedly confirmed that "Mina the Hollower" — the internet's latest unexplained creature rumored to haunt abandoned grain silos in rural Indiana — is a real, interdimensional being. According to a widely shared Facebook post, the creature “communicated via crop circles” demanding unpaid property taxes from the year 1887. The sheriff of Tippecanoe County has reportedly issued a warrant for “one pale, hollow-eyed being” for “failure to appear and trespassing.”
**Why It’s Fake:**
- **No such university press release exists.** Ohio State University has no recorded study or research group called "Parapsychology and Cryptozoology."
- **"Mina the Hollower" is a known fictional character** from the popular indie video game *Mina the Hollower* (developed by Yacht Club Games). The character is a plucky inventor from a gothic world—not a real cryptid.
- **Tax liens can't be served on fictional characters.** The "back taxes from 1887" detail is an absurd, satirical nod to historical property disputes, clearly intended as a joke.
- **No local news outlet or sheriff’s office** has recorded any such warrant. The claim originates from a satirical "Cryptid News" page that has since been flagged for spreading fabricated stories.
**Bottom Line:** This is a fun mix of gaming culture and rural folklore—but entirely fictional. Enjoy the creativity, but don't file your taxes under "Mina." ***Real rating: 🚫 100% Fake.** *