I would ask a simple question.
Are there many "folk songs" that have not been altered or amended by others for their own use?
Could it not therefore be argued that most folk songs are "fake"?
I believe not.
The older a folk song the more it appears to have changed, the more different versions, extra verses there are.
On many occasions the original meaning appears to have been changed or lost.
This is folk music and why I love it.