Fake Paper Declares End Of Iraq War

The anonymous spoof, dated July 4 2009, was distributed on the streets of New York to stunned commuters.

It contained articles announcing minimum wage laws for the United States, the return of all troops and the introduction of a "sane" economic system.

Volunteers responded to a web campaign on the BecauseWeWantIt.org calling on them to meet delivery vans.

An email gave instructions and explained "something cool" would happen.

"You'll receive materials and instructions when you arrive.

"Note: You don't know who did this. We want to maintain maximum mystery."

The campaign is reportedly linked to a group called The Yes Men who describe themselves as a "loose-knit association of some 300 imposters".

They say their mission is "impersonating big-time criminals in order to publicly humiliate them".

Catherine Mathis, a spokeswoman for the real New York Times, told Sky News Online they were looking into the spoof.

"This is obviously a fake issue of the Times," she said