Clickbait fake death news targets billionaire Tran Dinh Long

Tran Dinh Long, chairman of Hoa Phat Group, was rumored to be dead. Photo: zing.vn

In the morning of May 6 the information of Tran Dinh Long’s death went viral from a securities investment forum. The fake news stirred up investors in Hoa Phat Group as well as connected enterprises.

Answering queries and trying to quell concerns, a representative of Hoa Phat Group has just confirmed that Tran Dinh Long is alive and well. “This is a bad rumor,” the representative added.

The representative also said that Tran Dinh Long received many calls from family members, friends, and investors after the rumour went out.

Fortunately, due to the lack of authenticity in the information as well as the fact that the rumour started spreading on Sunday—the day the securities exchanges are closed—Hoa Phat Group’s stock listed on the Ho Chi Minh City Securities Exchange (HoSE: HPG) was not affected.

Billionaire Tran Dinh Long was named on Forbes magazine’s list of the newest Vietnamese billionaires. According to the magazine, as of May 6, Long’s total assets were valued at $1.2 billion, ranking fourth among Vietnam’s richest people and 1,999^th in the global ranking.

Fake death news are nothing new in the world. Lately, Sylvester Stallone, best known for his iconic character Rambo, on February 19 was announced to succumb to cancer. This fake news sent ripples of grief through social networks.

The person behind this fake news also made up an extensive backstory, including Stallone’s longstanding battle with cancer embellished with praises of personal willpower and strength of character, culminating in a painful death at February 19 midnight. Furthermore, photos (may have been edited) showing a sick Stallone were also attached to the story.

As a result, Stallone was forced to make a public appearance to quall the rumours. Specifically, in the evening of February 19, he reached out to fans through his personal Twitter account, saying that he was playing a boxing game and writing “Please ignore this stupidity” and “Alive and well and happy and healthy” in the post.

In early 2017, a series of Hollywood celebrities, including singer Rihanna, actor Will Smith, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and rapper Eminem saw fake death news on a Facebook fan page named About. This fan page commonly announces the death of famous artists.