Stolen computer! Naked pics! Is it all a Justin Bieber stunt?

Justin Bieber fans are devout, so much so that a simple sneeze from the pop star could likely spur a conversation on Twitter. So when there’s word of naked Bieber photos or videos out in the ether, watch out.

Bieber ended the week by having a little fun with his loyal fanbase. Bieber, it turns out, was behind a rather cheeky publicity stunt to celebrate the release of his latest video, the Nicki Minaj-assisted “Beauty and a Beat.”

Earlier this week, amid scarfing down spaghetti Bolognese and milk dinners and being “swaggie” on tour, the singer tweeted that his computer was stolen. He pined over the precious personal footage that was lost.

This incited a barrage of tweets from his rabid fans, and speculation in the blogosphere over just what was on that hard drive. The general consensus was that the computer of an 18-year-old male pop star would likely yield tons of dirty pics.

Adding fuel was a Twitter user who claimed to have scored damning footage from the computer. Then a neck-down photo of someone with a boyish frame and bird hip tattoo, a la Bieber, appeared online. Twitter split between verifying the photo and ogling it.

Bieber called the photo a fake. Then he began re-tweeting any gossip stories about the purported racy image.

Everyone, relax, turns out Bieber was simply generating excitement for a new music video.

The clip opens with a black screen and a tagline explaining the week’s events (the stolen laptop, etc.) and said the clip was uploaded illegally by a blogger. The “personal” footage is just Bieber at a “Project X” inspired house party.

Sort of. It’s all very safe-for-work. It even boasts a dance breakdown in the pool and plugs for video game “Just Dance 4,” which features Bieber’s work.

Still, he does offer a glimpse of his naughty side as he grinds with Minaj in one scene.

Bieber took credit for the prank. He tweeted, “Since i was 14 i have had a lot of things said about me, from dying, to taking hormones, to dying again, to stuff about my family ... to saying i had a baby with a woman i never even met. nude pics, drugs, my family, my character … but today … today i get to be in on it … so to all of you … enjoy.”

The music video is still trending online hours after its premiere. Well played, sir.

Check out the video below:

ALSO:

Nelly’s tour bus sidetracked by drug bust in Texas

Whitney Houston tribute features Usher, Jennifer Hudson

Chamillionaire to VP debate’s Martha Raddatz: ‘Keep it gangsta’