'Actor Rowan Atkinson is DEAD!' If you happen to see that message on your mobile phone or anywhere on social media, consider it to be false! For, Rowan Atkinson a.k.a. MR BEAN is not DEAD! Often a prey to such viral hoax messages, Mr Bean has once again fallen prey to it. There are messages being circulated online on social media, be it Facebook, Twitter, or elsewhere, that Rowan Atkinson is dead; however, the truth is otherwise. The messages are only a hoax and nothing else! If you are getting any links or messages claiming about his death, please refrain to open the link, as it is a virus.

The links give the name of reputed news site FOX so as to make it look genuine. The headline reads, "FOX BREAKING NEWS: ‘Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson)’ died at 62 After Crashing his Car on Attempt perfecting a Stunt - Today July 2017." The same link has been posted again in the month of July. A death hoax for the star came in 2016, then again in July 2017 and again in March this year. The links claim he died in a car accident and if you open the link there is no video inside as it shows in the link thumbnail picture. He seems to be a clear favourite among these spammers. Celebrity Death Hoax From Barbara Bush, Sylvester Stallone to Bollywood's Amitabh Bachchan: These Fake News Caused Panic Among Everyone.

Myth debunking site Hoax Slayer has given the clarification about these links. On clicking them, the user will be taken to a fake security error page and flash a message that your computer has been locked. It also gives a support number on which the user is asked to call to resolve the issue. Hoax Slayer has warned that you should definitely Not call on the given number. According to the site, "If you do call as instructed, tech support scammers will try to trick you into giving them your credit card details, ostensibly to pay for the repair of your computer. The scammers may also try to trick you into downloading software that will allow them to take control of your computer, steal your files, and install malware."

So if you see the links claiming Rowan Atkinson is dead, do not click them, they are a hoax and definitely do not spread them across. Pass on the message to others who may have been mindlessly sharing it on. Celebrity death-hoaxes are no fun game, it can be quiet a saddening state for the immediate family members of the concerned.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2018 01:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).