“Add to that a penchant for common folks to generate/propagate hoaxes for their own social “advancement.”
When Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter reported seeing UFOs, were they reporting hoaxes? When Air Force pilots in jet fighters report seeing UFOs, are they reporting hoaxes?
How is it that “common folks” have the technology to fool highly trained pilots in aircraft that costs millions of dollars, and in some cases, cause their deaths?
I tend to separate military/government reports from common citizen reports. I distrust both.