Statement on former reality star’s Instagram was revealed to be result of a hack, echoing social media rapper Lil Tay’s recent ordeal
The former Bachelorette contestant Josh Seiter has said a death statement posted to Instagram and reported by several media sites was a hoax and the result of an account hack – a turn of events which, on the heels of a similar hoax regarding the alleged death of the social media personality Lil Tay, has prompted another round of caution at taking social media statements at face value.
On Monday, a post on Seiter’s Instagram account, attributed to his family, announced the death of the reality TV alum, who appeared during Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season in 2015 and has since worked as a model and adult film actor.
Outlets such as People, Us Weekly, the Daily Beast and NBC News reported Seiter’s death and noted his history of mental health struggles and previous suicide attempts, which he has spoken about publicly. (Others took a more credulous approach; the New York Post’s Page Six declared Seiter was “believed to be dead”.
