Oprah Winfrey is dead. At least that's what social media sites are saying. However the famous TV host didn't die. She's just the victim of an Internet death hoax.
Rumors started swirling this week that Oprah was found dead in her home after committing suicide. The message, which appears on Facebook, allows users to click a link which says will direct the user to a video that Oprah made before she died.
The message is false. Oprah Winfrey is just fine. According to Hoax Slayer, "the link in the message points to a rogue app that, once installed, will send the same spam messages to all of the user's friends. Users will also be that they must download a suspect "plugin" and participate in various online surveys before gaining access to the supposed video."
Users should not click on the links. The message is disguised as a news article link from Fox News which says Oprah killed herself in her living room by shooting herself in the dead, but it says she recorded a video right before. When users click the link and download the app, they're asked to give permission for an app to post information on their behalf and the message gets spread around through the app. The message gets sent to all of the user's friends. Another link takes users to other websites which urges users to participate in surveys and reveal personal information. No matter how much information a user gives or how many surveys they complete, they are never shown the video with Oprah's final message, because she never recorded such a video.
Oprah is fine. She recently revealed her 2013 Favorite Things list.
Oprah isn't the only one to be killed off in this manner. This scam has become common on Facebook and other celebrities such as Celine Dion, Will Smith, Jackie Chan and Miley Cyrus have also been killed off.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
