Comedy Actor Rowan Atkinson, a.k.a Mr. Bean, is the latest celebrity who fell victim to another cruel online death hoax. Online pranksters created a fake profile and reported that the comedian committed suicide due to his struggle with depression.
The news of Atkinson's death went viral because many alarmed fans believed the hoax. But none of the news is true as Atkinson is currently busy working on his television film, "Maigret." Recent investigations also reveal that death hoaxes are part of a clickjacking scam.
A memorial picture of Atkinson circulated in social media, displaying the actor's face and a wrong date of birth. The poorly edited photo made it appear that the comedian died at the age of 21. The message read "R.I.P 1995-2016" with a BBC News logo, presumably to give the photo some credibility. ET Canada reported that there were various fabricated stories surrounding the death hoax, one stating that Atkinson committed suicide after his producer removed him from his role in "Johnny English 3."
Atkinson is only one amongst the many celebrities who are a target of these pranksters. According to Snopes, an online death hoax is actually part of what they are referring to as a clickjacking spam. It's a new type of platform where scammers are able to obtain user's personal information. Once a user clicks the website, it redirects them to a page where they are asked to enter their Facebook login and other sensitive information.
Meanwhile, Atkinson is very much alive and well, contrary to the death hoax. He is working on his recent television film "Maigret" and will reprise his role as the character, Jules Maigret.
