Coronavirus 'fake news' network busted in Hungary
A woman's temperature is taken during a mock demonstration for the media at Budapest's Liszt Ferenc Airport on Feb 5, 2020.
PHOTO: AFP
PUBLISHED ONFebruary 10, 2020 3:18 AM
BUDAPEST - Hungarian police said on Saturday (Feb 8) they had busted a network of "fake news" websites that reported alleged coronavirus-related deaths in Hungary, so far free of reported infections from the deadly virus.
A man and woman are suspected of "operating dozens of fake news portals and linked Facebook pages" claiming that several people have been infected and died from coronavirus, said a statement on the police website.
The sites, whose articles carried sensational headlines, were aimed at increasing traffic and boosting advertisement revenue, said the police.
"A 37-year-old Hungarian woman has collapsed and died in Budapest, probably from coronavirus," read a headline from one of the sites displayed by the police.
Computer equipment was seized at several locations during raids on Friday, said the statement.
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