WhatsApp dangerous msgs ( serious)

[monabri]

WhatsApp video called "Martinelli" - do not open/play ( supposedly it will hack your phone) .

Also,

Do not reply to the offer to upgrade to "WhatsApp Gold"

And

"Dance of the Pope" ( formats your mobile)

[swill453]

WhatsApp video called "Martinelli" - do not open/play ( supposedly it will hack your phone) .

Also,

Do not reply to the offer to upgrade to "WhatsApp Gold"

And

"Dance of the Pope" ( formats your mobile)

Stop it! These are all hoaxes, and don't do what you're claiming.

Scott.

[swill453]

Here's one of many references, found by a simple google: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/what ... 17601.html

Scott.

[monabri]

Stop it! These are all hoaxes, and don't do what you're claiming.

Scott.

I didn't post maliciously..

The link you posted says

"What is WhatsApp Gold?
The warning about WhatsApp Gold is legitimate, even if nothing else is."

[swill453]

Stop it! These are all hoaxes, and don't do what you're claiming.

Scott.

I didn't post maliciously..

Sure, but by propagating the hoaxes you spread needless worry and waste people's time.

Scott.

[monabri]

Ok , I won't bother next time..no problem.

[DrFfybes]

If I ever get any of these "warnings" (and I've even had them from work AND the local police) then the first thing to do is copy the opening line and paste it into google seach.

This will give you a pretty good idea if it is a hoax or not.
If you also add "Snopes" to the search term or "sophos" that filters out hoax pages.

Paul

[bungeejumper]

If I ever get any of these "warnings" (and I've even had them from work AND the local police) then the first thing to do is copy the opening line and paste it into google seach.

This will give you a pretty good idea if it is a hoax or not.

Absolutely. Just about any sentence from the email will work if you post it into Google.

O/T, but it also works (sometimes!) if you google the number from a pestering phone call. I once had a guy trying to trying to sell me 'boiler room' shares from his mobile phone. (Those are worthless shares in small "bargain" companies, pushed at you very hard. But okay, you knew that.) I googled his mobile number. Bingo, he was at her majesty's pleasure in HM Open Prison Standford Hill, where he was serving seven years for fraud. They were awfully pleased to hear about that.

BJ

[Clariman]

Fully agree with copying and pasting into Google to check the wording to see if it has been already analysed as a hoax.

Other tell-tale things which I look for and sets my hoax sensors to maximum alert are ....

This was a message sent out to all those in xyz profession or institution (e.g. hospital staff)

and

Please share this with all your friends and colleagues

In the first statement the person who sent it out is usually unnamed and you can easily find multiple versions of the same message but with different institutions being mentioned. If a person or institution is mentioned you can google to see if they are real people or not. Even then I would be dubious.

And the please share is a real give-away for me.

Cheers
Clariman
IMPORTANT! This message came from the Administrator of a major financial website and was posted to all users. Please share now with your friends.

[PinkDalek]

Please share this with all your friends and colleagues

It is worse than that, even with well intentioned and non scammy WhatsApp messages.

One of those states, at the top:

Please Share Please Share Please Share

Some of our dear neighbours are doing just that, on the same WhatsApp Group. They are most likely sharing that same message on each and every WhatsApp group they are on.

Whatever happened to chain letters?

[PinkDalek]

IMPORTANT! This message came from the Administrator of a major financial website and was posted to all users. Please share now with your friends.

Which major financial website would that be from?

[DrFfybes]

I've just had an email from a friend who says his friend works in the Dept of health in the US, and that over there people have caught Covid-19 from tins of pork.

I suspect it is Spam.

Paul