A professor at the University of California-Berkeley has apologized for “incorrectly” identifying as Native American when she is actually white. The disgraced professor released a public apology for having professed that she was part of the Mohawk and Mi’kmaq communities her entire life, per the Daily Mail.

Sociology professor Elizabeth Hoover published a lengthy statement on Monday, explaining that she was not a member of the Native American tribes that she had been told she was while growing up in upstate New York. Instead, she said, “I am a white person.”

Though Hoover claimed that she never deliberately set out to deceive or exploit anyone, her claims put a heavy strain on the suspension of disbelief. At a time when many people are able to identify their way into victimhood, it is clear to see that Hoover identifying as a Native American would have a substantial upside, both financially and culturally.