Tommaso Debenedetti

A phony social media account spread fake news on Wednesday that famous Greek singer Nana Mouskouri has passed away.

The gruesome news was announced in a fake Twitter account which carried the name and photo of the acting Minister of Culture and Sports Giorgos Koumendakis, who later posted that the fake account was created by Italian writer Tommaso Debenedetti.

The Culture Ministry's website and computer systems have been down since Wednesday morning because of a cyberattack, authorities have announced.

The website and systems were taken down for security reasons after the attack, while tne ministry and the National Cybersecurity Authority are investigating. Authorities say they have found no stole data so far.

A fake Twitter account attributed to newly appointed Culture Minister Myrsini Zorba on Thursday incorrectly announced the death of France-based Greek filmmaker Costa-Gavras.

The news was picked up by major news networks before it was proven to be a fake account set up by Italian journalist Tommaso Debenedetti.