A long-running WhatsApp hoax claiming that mobile phones are at risk from a mysterious Martinelli virus has resurfaced these days.
SecNews has already received several reports from users to whom this specific message has been sent:
However, messaging app users have nothing to fear from the alleged threat, which has been around since at least 2017.
The message claims that a video called Martinelli will be sent to the recipient's phone via the WhatsApp app the next day and warns users not to download it.
The video no longer exists, but many are still forwarding the message to friends, family members, and colleagues, believing it to be genuine and trying to warn them.
WhatsApp prank: What is the “Martinelli” video?
There is none. However, recipients receive a message warning them that they will receive the video “on WhatsApp” within 24 hours. While the exact wording varies, it generally states that the video will “hack phone and all data on the device will be lost.”
It urges recipients not to download the video and to warn others not to do so by forwarding the message. It also warns to click on a link to update the app to “WhatsApp Gold.”
The latest version of the prank also includes a warning about a video called “Dance of the Pope.”
“It's a virus that formats your mobile phone. Be careful, it's very dangerous. It was announced today on BBC. Forward this message to as many people as you can!” the message reads.
WhatsApp prank:Are users really receiving videos?
No, but by now, many will have been misled by the message and will try to do the right thing by warning friends . Those who receive the message can re-forward it.
As with many successful hoaxes, there is a grain of truth to it all. The promise of WhatsApp Gold – a supposedly premium WhatsApp service that would give users access to additional features and functions such as more emojis – has been used to trick people into downloading malware onto their phones and computers.
WhatsApp does not offer WhatsApp Gold versions. However, like the Martinelli message, WhatsApp Gold is one of the most persistent hoaxes on the internet, with scams dating back to 2016 and resurfacing repeatedly.
WhatsApp prank:Will forwarding the message damage your phone?
No, simply forwarding the Martinelli message will not do anything to phone . However, it may cause concern to those who receive it.
"Given that there is apparently no 'martinelli' video, WhatsApp users are safe," said Sophos, the security company.
"All users need to do is stop forwarding this message," the company stressed.
