The mother of a Hannah Montana fan was so desperate to scoop tickets to a sold out show, she faked a competition essay pretending the girl's father had been killed in Iraq.

Texan Priscilla Ceballos' confession has forced contest organisers to withdraw the prizes it awarded her daughter Alexis, including a Hannah Montana make-over and an all-expenses paid trip to Albany, New York, with tickets to the concert there on January 9th.

The opening line of Alexis' essay read, "My daddy died this year in Iraq." But Priscilla confesses, "We did the essay and that's what we did to win. We did whatever we could do to win."

Tickets to the concerts - in which teen star Miley Cyrus plays her alter ego Hannah Montana - have been exchanging hands on eBay for up to $15,000.