No, Queen Elizabeth Has Not Died
The accounts impersonated the BBC.
At least two hoax Twitter accounts designed to look like the BBC tried to spread a false claim that Queen Elizabeth II has died.
@BBCNewsUKI/twitter
The @BBCNewsUKI account is unverified and its bio miscapitalizes "UK". It has since been suspended, but not before getting more than 400 retweets for its false claim.
Screenshot/Twitter
Another fake account with the handle @ClassyCountinho tweeted the same false claim.
@ClassyCoutinho/Twitter
But one look at the account page reveals it's clearly fake.
The account later deleted its tweet about the queen.
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The accounts managed to fool some influential people on Twitter. Gérard Araud, the French ambassador to the US, fell for the hoax and later corrected himself.
@GerardAraud/Twitter
@GerardAraud/Twitter
A writer for the Hollywood Reporter and the founder of research firm EKOS were also fooled.
@PamelaDayM/Twitter
@VoiceOfFranky/Twitter
The Queen's health has been a topic of discussion since Buckingham Palace announced she would miss Christmas mass due to a "heavy cold."
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Jane Lytvynenko is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Toronto, Canada. PGP fingerprint: A088 89E6 2500 AD3C 8081 BAFB 23BA 21F3 81E0 101C.
Contact Jane Lytvynenko at jane.lytvynenko@buzzfeed.com.
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