Urgent - Scam re Whatsapp

Also, this was tessagee’s first post. I hope she doesn’t make it her last!

Tessagee thank you for trying to warn about a possible virus. Sadly the covid-19 isn't the only virus to fear. My DD had her mobile compromised yesterday and had to have her phone wiped clean. She lost photos and many important notes. It's most unpleasant when it happens for real, so glad this was a hoax.

My daughter keeps getting messages supposedly from her brother, but they are definitely not,he doesn;t even have her no
The messages really just say he has been trying to ring her, but he hasn't

Be kind please. We aren’t all IT savvy and the poster was trying to help. If you can’t say anything nice then say nothing at all.

Just for info, I spoke to my daughter tonight who is a software engineer and has never heard of “ hoaxslayer “ and “ snopes”. I don’t feel so inadequate now!

endlessstrife
I'm surprised that your daughter is un-aware of snopes. It's been going for a long time. Over 30 years.

Yes. Be nice.
I fully agree with blueflinders

Check this out! www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/whatsapp-martinelli-virus-2018-video-message-explained-what-to-do-a8711926.html

This is from Snopes April 2018 www.snopes.com/fact-check/whatsapp-martinelli-phone-virus-warning/

This is all very interesting, and a distraction at the moment. The snopes video is saying the Martinelli thing is a hoax, so the OP was right. Everyone I’ve talked to, some in IT, have never heard of these hoax hackers. What scams were around 30 years ago? Certainly not internet ones. I shall do some research, and enjoy thinking about something else for a change?. Stay well everyone ?

Anything that sounds either alarming or too good to be true, I check through the Snopes and Hoaxslayer sites. I have done for years, and I assure everyone that they are NOT hoaxes themselves. They have very sensible articles and advice.
www.snopes.com/ has a search box where you can enter a bit about anything suspicious and see what their research has come up with. Here is the coronavirus page - www.snopes.com/?s=coronavirus

www.hoax-slayer.net/ is also genuine.
quackwatch.org/ Quackwatch investigates health scams and bogus treatments. Some of the stories will make your hair curl!

I did not know that this was a hoax and if it has caused worry I can only apologise. As I said above, this was my first thread, it'll also be my last.

Don't worry Tessagee. I thank you for your caring. And better safe than sorry.

Don't make it your last thread, tessagee. It would be a shame to do that just because you saw something you thought you should tell everyone about. Start one tomorrow on something entirely different.

This is a HOAX

A friend also passed this on to me. It's an old hoax - a chain letter I think. The clue for me was in the warning that it was -about to happen. You don't get advance warnings of viruses usually.
I check out everything before forwarding.

This is fake news,
a hoax,
not true.