Harry Potter actor, Tom Felton, has been the subject of false and malicious allegations spread on Twitter on Monday morning.
The fake news accused the Draco Malfoy actor of grooming one of his fans on Instagram.
A since-deleted thread appeared on Twitter, which alleged to show screenshots of Felton sexually propositioning a 16-year-old girl.
However, the malicious rumors have since been thoroughly debunked but not before the English actor’s name began trending on Twitter.
According to HITC, within a few hours, 50 thousand tweets contained Felton’s name and thousands of accusations against him.
Fans quickly debunked Tom Felton scandal
Eagle-eyed fans of Tom quickly went to work and discovered the screenshots were faked.
Twitter users noticed that the so-called reproductions of the incriminating Instagram message appeared to have inconsistencies with the positioning of the lettering.
One Twitter user explained: “Look at the name at the top, the pic on the right is what it’s actually supposed to look like. It is centered with the < arrow, whereas the screenshots have his name slightly lower from the arrow.”
Others argued that an arrow in the screenshot appeared to have been drawn on with a pen or marker.
One Twitter user wrote that they always try to believe the victim, but they thought there were many signs the screenshots were fake.
They added, “they aren’t aligned, they have been drawn on.”
As if that wasn’t enough to dispel the allegations, the individual who first shared the thread has retracted.
That Twitter account claimed they were lied to by their friend who accused Felton of messaging them.
Tom Felton grooming allegations are fake
The account that has since been locked to private wrote: “I have since been informed that everything was a lie, and I feel heartbroken and violated.”
They included screenshots of a conversation with their so-called friend who admitted they had lied.
It is not clear who made the initial allegations against Felton, but it seems clear that they are fake.
In other Felton related news, the actor hinted at a Harry Potter reunion over the weekend during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
He said he’s still in contact with many of his co-stars through a WhatsApp group and says he’s planning a digital reunion for the 19th anniversary next month.
The creator of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, JK Rowling, has been the subject of controversy herself after being accused of transphobia in recent months.
Harry Potter actor, Daniel Radcliffe, responded to some of her tweets with a declaration of support for transgender women.
Rowling also courted controversy when she backed Johnny Depp for his role in Fantastic Beasts during his fractious divorce from Amber Heard, which included domestic abuse allegations.