Father's Day hoax cons fans by claiming Ryan Gosling adopted a child

LOS ANGELES, June 17 (UPI) -- Unknown persons cashed in on Ryan Gosling's good-guy appeal over the weekend.

A fake Facebook for the 33-year-old actor popped up before Father's Day on June 15. The page has since been removed, but it included a photo of Gosling holding a baby and claimed the star had adopted a child.

Ryan Gosling: the world's hottest faux father http://t.co/heHM6wpHzs pic.twitter.com/sGwTk2NBHo

— Cosmopolitan UK (@CosmopolitanUK) June 16, 2014

"This father's day, I've decided to tell the story of how I became a father," the post read. "This little guy was only 9 months old when I became his dad. His mom and I were great friends before she passed away from cancer. I promised her, I'd always look after him."

The post received over 900,000 likes from the actor's adoring fans. More sinisterly, it encouraged people to visit a different website and purchase a "Young Wild and Free" t-shirt for $22.50. The site says the proceeds benefit the Orphanage Home Foundation, but no such organization exists. In addition, the con claims that those who buy a shirt are entered into a contest to spend a day with Gosling.