Fake news posts claiming Rowan Atkinson has died are circulating on social media.
The stories falsely report the Consett born Mr Bean star died in a car crash in Los Angeles, and have been widely shared on Facebook and
Twitter.
But the posts - which claim to be from Fox News - are fake and reportedly link to a scam website which can give your computer a virus.
Their headline reads: “FOX BREAKING NEWS: ‘Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson)’ died at 62 After Crashing his Car on Attempt perfecting a Stunt - Today July, 2017”.
If you see the post on your timeline, do not click on it. It is not by Fox News, and the video it prompts does not exist.
Newcastle University graduate and Johnny English star Atkinson has been a frequent victim of hoax stories claiming he has died.
Similar posts circulated in 2016 and in March this year.
Myth debunking site Hoax Slayer say some of the links will direct you to fake security error pages, which claim your computer has been locked and ask you to ring a support number.
Hoax Slayer says you should definitely NOT call that number.
They say: “You will be prompted to call a ‘support number’ urgently to seek help with the supposed security issue. However, if you do call as instructed, tech support scammers will try to trick you into giving them your credit card details, ostensibly to pay for the repair of your computer.
The scammers may also try to trick you into downloading software that will allow them to take control of your computer, steal your files, and install malware.”
See also: the secret of Mark Zukarberg
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