Will Smith has not died on the set of “Bad Boys III” while performing a stunt, as some scammers want you to believe.
A viral Facebook post claims that Smith died while in production, but it’s just an attempt to lure users to a bogus website that contains a rogue app.
The post includes a video with a play button, but no video exists. It reads, “WILL SMITH Died While Filming a Deadly Stunt for ‘BAD BOYS 3'“ and it continues, ”Watch the video on how Will Smith died. Share the video to show respect.” Again, there is no video, and the post is just trying to mislead people.
There’s also accompanying text that says, “Very sad day for me and my family because Will Smith is a good model for us, us a husband and as a father. It really hurts watching that video, watching him die in pain. But still, he showed courage.”
When one clicks on the link, they are directed to a page that asks to share the post, which ensures that it is spread further. The page then asks users to give it access to users’ accounts via a rogue application.
Rogue applications can post on their behalf, which can help generate more bogus posts about Will Smith.
The scam could also prompt a download of malware on users’ computers.
They also can lead users to bogus surveys that ask for one’s e-mail, phone number, and address. The information can be sold to agencies or other scammers.
In short, it’s not recommended to click on the link, share it, or “like” it. If you have shared the Will Smith link, it is best to delete it and “unlike” the post. And it’s not recommended to fill out any surveys.
And if you have allowed the app permission, you can access it by going to your Facebook settings via clicking on the Facebook application settings. Once you’re in, you can go down and click the “X” button on the right of the app and turn it off. Note that some of the rogue apps have names like “CNN,” “YouTube,” or “Fox” to trick users.
