Rowan Atkinson, the “Mr. Bean” star, has been the victim of a viral death hoax, which claims he died by committing suicide. A number of people spread the rumor via Twitter and other social media sites.
The rumor is spreading via Facebook and contains a malicious app.
A representative of Atkinson, 58, told India Today this week that the actor is not dead.
“English Actor Comedian Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) died at 58 after committing suicide” because “the producer remove (sic) him on Johnny English 3. Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) recorded a suicide video with a message to his producer and fans around the world. (watch more),” reads the fake Facebook posting, which claims to be from CNN.
On Twitter, a number of people reacted to the false news.
“I thought the Rowan Atkinson suicide thing on facebook was real,” one wrote.
Another added: “Rowan Atkinson, Mr. Bean committed suicide? Tell me its a twitter rumour.”
But a security monitoring website has said it spreads malware.
“There is no video and Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) did not commit suicide. If you install the so-called “Facebook Media Plug-in” by clicking on the link, you will install a malicious computer program that will infect your computer with a virus or Trojan horse,” says Online Threats Alert.
There is also no indication of a “Johnny English 3” in the works.
There have been other false celebrity death rumors that have spread malware via Facebook. Months ago, a widely circulated hoax about Jackie Chan’s death also promised a video but asked users to download malware.
Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, “Chumlee” from Pawn Stars, Eddie Murphy, and others have been subjected to death hoaxes. NFL stars like Peyton Manning an Michael Vick have also been rumored to have suffered catastrophic injury in other hoaxes.
“Do not use Facebook as your legitimate news source. If something is posted on Facebook, please verify it by visiting one of the reputable news websites. And, if you asked to install an application to view a video or any form of information, please do not,” says Online Threat Alerts.
“Your web browser is capable of viewing most videos without the need to install any additional plug-ins,” it adds
Last year, Atkinson was the target of a death rumor when a user edited his Wikipedia page to say that he died in February.
