What was claimed
The BBC reported that Tom Hanks had been arrested for possessing child sex abuse material.
Our verdict
False. The BBC did not publish the report and the screenshot of its website is fake.
AAP FACTCHECK - A fabricated BBC report claiming Tom Hanks has been arrested is being shared on social media again, despite having been repeatedly debunked over the last four years.
A photo of the actor features in a screenshot of what appears to be the BBC News homepage with a headline proclaiming "Tom Hanks arrested on 135 counts of child porn possession".
The BBC has confirmed no such story has ever appeared on its site.
One Facebook post from an Australian user shares the fake image with the caption: "News of Tom Hanks arrested was on BBC website for a few minutes before being removed".
However, the claim is false and the BBC told AAP FactCheck that the headline in the photo has never been published on its news website.
“We can confirm that this is fake,” a BBC spokesperson said when contacted by AAP FactCheck.
The claim has been debunked several times from as far back as 2021 by other fact-checking organisations, including Reuters, AFP Fact Check and Logically Facts.
There have been no reports of any stories about Hanks similar to the one alleged in the fake photo, and an internet search for the claim in the headline only shows results of other fact checks.
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