ABC finance guru Alan Kohler is forced to issue a statement confirming he is NOT dead: Here’s why
One of Australia’s most trusted financial gurus has confirmed he is not dead after a fake obituary circulated on social media.
Financial journalist Alan Kohler tweeted “I’m not dead” to his 143,000 followers after several fake news stories circulated on X on Wednesday.
Some of his followers were miffed by the tweet, prompting him to issue a statement.
Alan Kohler was forced to confirm that he was alive after several fake news stories circulated on X
Mr Kohler said scam tweets, including a fake obituary, had been making the rounds on Wednesday
“The reason I did that ‘I’m not dead’ tweet yesterday is because there’s a lot of fake stuff going around with my name on it, including an obituary,” he explained.
“Anyway, if you see something claiming to be a recommendation from me, please delete and block it. Not me.’
Fans were quick to share their relief that the ABC host was still alive.
‘Thank God! I almost fell off my chair. We need your humor and knowledge more than ever, Alan,” one woman wrote.
“I love your data and graphs, I’m glad you’re still alive,” said a second.
“Yes, I saw the false information pop up a few days ago,” a third commented.
‘It seems to happen regularly to several well-known Australians in various social media applications and articles. I’m not sure why it can’t be stopped a little quicker or doesn’t appear at all.’
A fourth wrote: ‘Kohler, Kochie, Wilkins, Smith, Stefanovic… apparently you are all dead, left the country or arrested. Don’t believe everything on the internet.’
Mr Kohler warned his followers not to be fooled by scammers using his image to post ads on
Belinda Barnet, a digital media lecturer at Swinburne University, revealed scammers used Mr Kohler’s image to advertise a cryptocurrency scheme.
“I wonder if @abcnews and/or @AlanKohler realize their name and likeness are being used to sell a dodgy-looking crypto product (complete with ‘ABC website’ navigation tabs leading to a sign-up page etc.)” , she wrote.
The scam featured Mr Kohler pictured with fellow ABC broadcaster Hamish Macdonald.
“Something about a lawsuit by NAB seems like a scam to me,” one man wrote.
“I had ‘Alan Kohler Finally Reveals His Sex Secrets’ but I thought it was just a random scam ad and I didn’t bother taking any screenshots,” said a second.