] She cites another example. In September 2002, The Onion
] ran a piece called, "Al-Qaida Allegedly Engaging in
] Telemarketing." The piece told of the terrorist
] organization's nefarious plan to raise funds through
] various phone scams. It also showed screenshots of a
] videotape the CIA had uncovered in which al-Qaida's
] second in command, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, is seen with a
] headset, presumably tricking an unsuspecting victim.
]
] Thus, upon seeing the story, the Branch County sheriff's
] department in Coldwater, Michigan, which had been
] investigating telemarketing scams targeting the elderly,
] issued an urgent press release.
]
] "In the course of this investigation, it was learned that
] this is going on throughout the United States, and some
] of these telemarketing programs are believed to be
] operated by al-Qaida," the release stated. "The CIA has
] announced that they acquired a videotape showing al-Qaida
] members making phone solicitations for vacation home
] rentals, long-distance telephone service, magazine
] subscriptions and other products."

Wired News: Onion Taken Seriously, Film at 11