Death Hoaxes have targeted several celebrities for decades and have become more and more frequent in recent years. From Paul McCarney to the Rock and Tom Cruise to Beyonce, death hoaxes feed on the popularity of celebs to spread fake news.
The latest victim of the trend is George Soros, the Hungarian-American billionaire. With a net worth of $8.6 billion, he is just as famous as any celebrity. He was an easy target for the death hoax, owing to the fact that he is 92.
Due to his Jewish identity, he has been the subject of conspiracy theories for decades. There was even an attempt to assassinate him in 2018 when a bomb was placed in his home’s mailbox.
Thus, it is easy for people to believe Soros’ death, and the scammers on social media have taken advantage of this exact situation. So let’s find out more about George Soro’s death hoax and who started it.
Is George Soros Dead?
No, as of May 2023, George Soros is very much alive and kicking. The news of his death is a hoax that is being spread by malicious people on the internet, and we ask you not to believe them without proper research.
Soros even tweeted to address the rumor and confirm that nothing had happened to him.
The 92-year-old Hungarian-American businessman is currently a resident of New York. Forbes even called him the “most generous giver.” This isn’t the first death hoax Soros has faced, as Reuters accidentally published his obituary in 2013. The news agency removed the report upon realizing it was untrue.
Why Is ‘George Soros Dead’ Trending?
A Twitter user by the name of Cillian tweeted fake breaking news on May 14, which detailed the death of George Soros. The tweet stated, “George Soros has died of a violent heart attack.” The tweet showed ‘Politics For All Ireland’ as the source.
It should be noted that Politics For All Ireland is another fake social media account that should not be trusted. Any news regarding Soros was not available on its page. They possibly removed it after realizing the heat that the tweet had caused. Cillian knew that only a few people bothered to check the source and thus tried to take advantage of it.
As people slowly discovered the tweet was fake news, Cillian made a comeback by calling him a conspiracy theorist.
A spokesperson for Soros’ Open Society Foundations confirmed that George is not dead. Like every other death hoax, the fake news spread like wildfire before it was debunked, and there are still many out there who think George is dead since they have not come across anything that claims otherwise.
Due to Soros’ social standing, any real news of his actual death would have made headlines on all major news channels. So before believing a random tweet, always clarify your doubts with several articles from trusted sources.
Did you come across the fake news tweet on Twitter as well? What do you think is the reason behind the random rumor? Tell us more about your opinions in the comments below.