Totally false, and supported by a scam website. The OTCShortReport.com is a paid promotional website run by a barred broker that misrepresents the short volume numbers to supply traders with misinformation.
Short INTEREST is actual shares that are short. The only factual source of Short INTEREST data is FINRA, the legal regulator that, BY LAW, regulates short sales in OTC stocks. It’s easy to access the short INTEREST data at the FINRA website: