No sports fans, David Beckham did not die in a car accident early this morning, U.K. time. The soccer (yes, Brits, I know, it’s really football) great is alive and well, and, apparently, considering buying some of Liz Taylor’s famous jewels for his wife, Victoria.
So how did this rumor get started? That would be Global Associated News, an apparently entirely fake web tabloid. Other gossip sites like LALATE.com have noticed the remarkable similarities in GAN’s false death rumors… right down to their penchant for killing famous people off on the same highway in the same manner, a “single car accident” with implications of drunk driving.
What neither LALATE nor the concerned fans who have lit up Twitter and Google with inquiries as to Mr. Beckham’s health seem to have noticed is the fine print at the bottom of the story
“FAKE… THIS STORY IS 100% FAKE! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes! this story was dynamically generated using a generic ‘template’ and is not factual. Any reference to specific individuals has been 100% fabricated by web site visitors who have created fake stories by entering a name into a blank ‘non-specific’ template for the purpose of entertainment. For sub-domain info, name removal requests and additional use restrictions: FakeAWish.com ”
Sick joke? Sure. Proof that internet gossip hounds are also 100% gullible? Definitely.
