Stephanie Courtney, the actress who plays “Flo” from Progressive Insurance in the firm’s commercials, has not died.
A fake article was published on eBuzzd.com, which only posts fake news stories, namely celebrity death hoaxes.
The bogus report says, “Stephanie Courtney — best known for playing the advertising character Flo in television and radio commercials for Progressive Insurance — was killed in New York late Monday night in a deadly car accident. She was 44. According to police, Courtney was driving alone around 10pm when her Lexus LX left the road and crashed into a road divider. Reports indicate that she was wearing a seat belt at the time. No other vehicles were involved.”
EBuzzd.com has a disclaimer, saying it doesn’t post real news.
The disclaimer reads: “If you haven’t figured out yet that this site contains fake news, then I feel sorry for you. By even visiting and browsing eBuzzd.com, you accept the fact that this site does not provide real news ... If you have a problem with that, then you are not allowed to view my website. Furthermore, all of the celebrities or public figures on eBuzzd.com are fictitious. Any resemblance to a real individual and/or corporation is strictly coincidental.”
Several thousand people shared and “liked” the Flo death hoax on Facebook and Twitter this week.
“Flo from Progressive Insurance is Dead!” one person wrote on Twitter. “Horrible news! Flo is dead. Sheis one of my favorites - up there with Mrs. Olsen and Mr. Wipple!” said another. “I can’t believe Flo from Progressive Insurance is dead!” wrote another user.
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