A warning about an allegedly dangerous video called “Martinelli” has been circulating for many years. According to a chain letter, it is claimed that opening this video can result in the smartphone being “hacked” – and then rendered unusable. To date, there is no evidence that such a video actually exists or that it is actually capable of hacking a smartphone.

This is widespread misinformation that has been circulating for several years.

This information is currently being shared via WhatsApp and also continuously on Facebook:

Screenshot of the chain letter on WhatsApp
Screenshot of the chain letter on WhatsApp (February 2023)
Screenshot of the chain letter on Facebook (February 2023)
Screenshot of the chain letter on Facebook (February 2023)

The report about the “Martinelli video” has been around for 6 years!

the rounds since 2017 This chain letter was shared millions of times in Spain, Italy and Great Britain and was at some point translated into German. We HERE .

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The chain letters in different languages:

“Tomorrow there will be a video on WhatsApp called martinelli. Please do not open. It hacks your phone and can no longer be repaired. Also don't click on WhatsApp Gold updates. Just hit the news and is considered very serious. Please forward."

“An IT expert has advised that a video comes out tomorrow from WhatsApp called martinelli do not open it, it hacks your phone and nothing will fix it. Spread the word” or “Tomorrow comes a video for whatsapp is called martinelli do not open it hacks the phone in 10 seconds and you can not stop in any way pass the data to yours and friends”

“You sell a video on WhatsApp with Martinelli and you don't have the phone in 10 seconds and you can't wait until the next day”

The Spanish police also pointed out via Twitter that it was a fake:

MIMIKAMA
Spanish police tweet

Conclusion: There is no threat from an alleged virus or an alleged “Martinelli” video, and the alleged updates for “WhatsApp Gold” are also fictitious.
Sharing such false information can lead to unnecessary spread of fear and panic. It is best to stop the spread of such chain letters by not forwarding the message and informing the sender that it is a false alert. However, it is important to always be careful and pay attention to what you receive via WhatsApp or other platforms. Even if the messages come from friends or family members, you should not click or forward everything blindly, but rely on trustworthy sources to check potential threats.


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )