A fake Twitter account claimed on Tuesday that “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe was infected with coronavirus.
The fake account “@BBCNewsTonight” linked back to an old BBC.com page and was not affiliated with the British news organization, The New York Post reports.
Radcliffe’s representatives later assured The Post that the rumour was “not true.”
Though the tweet was taken down, it garnered more than 1,000 likes by Tuesday afternoon.
The madness over the fake news came as coronavirus fear increased all over the world.
Many caught onto the Radcliffe ruse Tuesday and noted that the account seemed to be hiding replies calling it out, The Post added.
On Thursday, Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, both tested positive for coronavirus in Australia, the actor said on Twitter.
More than 121,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 in 118 countries and over 4,300 people have died of the virus, according to a Reuters tally. In the United States at least 37 people have died from the respiratory illness.
