A number of celebrities have fallen victim to a death hoax in the age of social media. Rowan Atkinson, who plays famous Mr. Bean, became victim of the hoax, once again.
A death hoax that the 63-year-old actor died in a car crash while attempting to do a stunt has been circulating the internet. But, Mr. Atkinson is not dead.
The latest viral death hoax was an attempt to spread a computer virus, according to website Hoax slayer.
This is not the first time he fell victim to a hoax. The article first circulated and made headlines in July 2017 for claiming the actor died in a stunt.
Atkinson was also victim to a second hoax in March 2017 that also falsely reported his death.
The latest also included a video with a play button that invited people to watch, which leads to a website asking people to share on Facebook and complete a security test, according to the site.
But after sharing, the site instead offers a support phone number where scammers were allegedly trying to get the callers’ credit card information.
Atkinson is just the latest celebrity to fall victim to a death hoax. Jurassic Park actor Jeff Goldblum also had a fake report circulate in 2009 and his mom believed it.
“Yes, someone had put online that I had fallen off a cliff in New Zealand,” Goldblum, 65, recalled. “Before we got the word out and I could call everybody, yes, my mom. She called and was like, ‘Jeffrey, are you alright? Are you alright?’ ”
He continued, “And then a friend of mine [who] very tearfully and hysterically left a message.”
