Yes this is indeed true. Keep in mind that if your broker is asking you to lend your shares, it almost certainly means someone is naked-short (took a short position without actually borrowing the shares first) and now they need to find some to cover.  

Unless your shares are directly registered in your name with POETs transfer agent, you don't own them, they're registered to Cede and Co on behalf of the DTC. What you have is essentially an IOU with "beneficial ownership" meaning voting rights and theoretical value gain/loss privileges. Which is good enough for most people.  There have been many instances where individuals holding through brokerages have received LESS voting allotment than their share count implies, and similarly, many companies in recent years have reported MORE total votes cast than their total outstanding share count - meaning shares are being rehypothecated (lent out without your permission) and usually sold short but marked long. Brokers/dealers regularly false-report short sales as long to hide their positions and allow them unlimited time to cover. If/when they're caught, it's a slap on the wrist. Just look up the frequency of fines associated with FTDs and false reporting. It happens all the time.  The depth of this topic is worthy of a full blown dissertation to really get to the bottom.