Authorities in Massachusetts say a reported shark sighting turned out to be a hoax fin attached to some weights to keep it in place in the water.

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Somerset police said they received they first received a call about 7 p.m. Wednesday about a shark in Somerset's Fox Hill Cove and authorities were dispatched to the scene, Gatehouse News Service reported Friday.

Police dispatcher William Aubin said officers discovered the "shark" was a hoax.

"It was Styrofoam shaped into a fin and wrapped with gray duct tape with weights holding it in place," Aubin said.

Aubin said the incident could have caused a "serious problem" if there had been an actual emergency at the same time elsewhere.