Facebook users are encountering a scam message claiming that “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone was found dead at his home in Los Angeles. But before you rush to the flower store, read on..
The original Facebook message linked to a clickbait website known for creating and sharing celebrity death hoaxes. This web site was responsible for previous death hoaxes involving Vin Diesel, Nicolas Cage, Jaden Smith, Jim Carrey, Angelina Jolie and John Cena. All of the aforementioned are alive and well.
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This web site spreads misinformation (almost always a death hoax) in an attempt to bait people into giving away their information. Here’s how the scam works: A salacious title (Sylvester Stallone found dead!) is posted to Facebook. Those interested in reading the article click the provided link, but before being redirected to the story they are greeted with a pop-up requesting permission to view their personal information. Sylvester Stallone is not dead. When we bypassed the above-displayed permission request, we were greeted with a story about the actor’s son, Sage, who passed away in 2012. h/t snopes
It would be national news if Stallone really had passed away, and so far “news” stories about his alleged death are all fake.