A trending Facebook post alleged that actor Tom Hanks was arrested for pedophilia in Australia. As coverup for his arrest, he reportedly pretended that he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
The Dispatch Fact Check debunked the allegation to be baseless. One of Hollywood's most beloved nice-guy actors, there is zero evidence supporting the pedophile claim.
A photo of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson surfaced online wherein the couple was photographed awkwardly balancing Greek passports, along with the prime minister and first lady of Greece.
Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the declaration on his Instagram account on July 26 that the married couple Hanks and Wilson are now officially Greek citizens.
According to the conspiracy theory circulating, Hanks and other individuals are financial criminals and pedophiles being gathered for their position in child sex-trafficking.
The allegation was posted on Facebook by Juha Sawkat on March 15, 2020, entitled "Please Read And Start Opening Your Eyes."
Reports of Hanks contracting COVID-19 and his undertaking quarantine was allegedly an attempt to cover up his time in custody.
The aforementioned Facebook post read, "Tom Hanks was arrested 48 hours ago for Pedophilia and he is currently being kept in a Hotel room in Australia refusing to fly back to USA. Next celebrity arrests will be Céline Dion, Madonna, Charles Barkley, Kevin Spacey - all will claim Corona virus infections."
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Misinformation about Hanks has been prevalent on social media since he tested positive for COVID-19 while shooting a film.
A Facebook post displayed that Hanks was donning a green bandana over his face while in 2 pictures, which are close-ups of his ankles, red circles are drawn around his right ankle.
The post indicated that Hanks was wearing an ankle bracelet. "Tom Hanks. Some of you don't know it but Mr. Hanks was arrested in Australia for pedophilia. He went on national TV to say he had COVID-19 and he was quarantine himself. Not true." The post stated that the actor was taken into custody earlier but was then imposed house arrest is in his hotel and is now a flight risk.
Facebook flagged the post as part of its attempts to combat fake news and misinformation throughout the social media platform.
No ankle monitor was showed on Hanks' legs when pictures of him wearing shorts were captured in the following weeks.
He and his wife, Wilson, were hospitalized for 5 days. They were eventually released and were undergoing recovery.
While the narrative circulated, Hanks was posted on his Instagram handle about his quarantine on March 17 which was 2 days following the aforementioned Facebook post about his arrest.
Hanks' arrest for pedophilia would have been massively reported by news outlets, according to Reuters.
Hanks is among the multiple celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres who have been targeted by outlandish conspiracy theories regarding their alleged involvement in "elite pedophile sex trafficking rings."
