NEWSCharlie Sheen Dead? Virus Spreads on Facebook With Death Hoax
March 10 2011, Published 9:43 a.m. ET
With health experts very concerned about Charlie Sheen's well-being as the actor continues to spin out of control on his current media bender, many may not have been shocked by the headline "Charlie Sheen is Dead" popping up on Facebook and Twitter. But don't believe everything you read about the 45-year-old actor. This awful death hoax is a current virus spreading on Facebook.
The dangerous posts begin with a pop up on Twitter or Facebook, claiming "Exclusive Video," "RIP!" or "Breaking News," the Huffington Post reports. Then the headline "Charlie Sheen found Dead at his House" pops up which includes a link to a site that appears to be fueling the rumor.
The Twitter page for Technology site ZDNet fell victim to the hoax, Tweeting yesterday, "Exclusive Video: Charlie Sheen found Dead at his House!
According to ZDNet, via HuffPo, "Just like the previous 'likejacking' scams (a play on the term clickjacking, which means prompting a victim to click something while a different action is taken behind the scenes) any of the above will lead you to a fake YouTube page such as TouTube or FbTube. Clicking on play prompts you with the following message: Please complete a 30 second survey to verify that you are human.”
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Charlie Sheen has not yet Tweeted about the death hoax, but he is very much alive and busy "winning" and suing people.
The actor did just Tweet that he served Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros. with legal papers, suing the producer and production company for $100 million.
