Not funny. A rumor that the great Elizabeth Taylor had been murdered began with a hoax email. Spammer and hackers are trying new angles to further their grifting. Fake news alerts are the new spam.

Everyone gets those spam emails stating that they have won millions thanks to the Euro lottery or emails from barristers “needing your help” to move some money around. Now, the hackers and spammers are striking where it hurts. Fake news alerts supposedly from MSNBC and CNN. This is where the rumors of the “murder of Elizabeth Taylor” and the “Mary-Kate Olsen found guilty of Heath Ledger’s death” came from.

Taylor is alive and doing well at home. Her health may be questionable, but she was not murdered.