A disturbing case of viral disinformation on TikTok has drawn fresh attention to the dangerous impact of fake videos, after a creator’s content was manipulated to falsely announce her death.

Grace Wolstenholme, a 22-year-old TikTok influencer with over 1.3 million followers, became the victim of a fabricated video that wrongly claimed she had died. The post, shared by an unidentified user, used one of Grace’s own videos without her consent and falsely captioned it: "I lost my autistic sister today so I bought this pillow to imitate cuddling her."

The fake video was viewed more than 650,000 times before TikTok removed it for violating community guidelines. However, by then, it had already misled thousands of viewers and caused significant emotional distress.

The account behind the video appeared to be promoting a product—pillows—while exploiting Grace’s image and falsely labeling her as deceased. Efforts by the BBC to reach the person responsible have so far been unsuccessful.

Grace, who lives with cerebral palsy and uses her platform to advocate for disability awareness, said the experience was deeply upsetting. “Seeing people believe I had died was heartbreaking. It felt like someone was using my life, my condition, to get attention or sell a product,” she said.

This incident exposes the dark reality behind fake viral videos: how quickly lies can spread online, how difficult it is to hold anonymous users accountable, and how damaging such misinformation can be to the victims involved.

While TikTok acted to remove the video after it was reported, critics argue the platform and others like it need stronger detection systems and stricter verification processes. Advocacy groups have urged social media companies to take urgent steps to protect users, especially those from vulnerable communities, from similar abuse.

Grace has vowed to continue using her platform to raise awareness and educate others. “This won’t stop me,” she said. “But people need to know how harmful and real the consequences of fake videos can be.”

The incident serves as a stark reminder of how easily digital content can be manipulated, and how quickly it can damage reputations, mental health, and trust—raising critical questions about responsibility and safety in the age of viral misinformation.