Is the “Martinelli” video a virus that hacks your phone in 10 seconds?

The claim: A forwarded WhatsApp message warns that a video called "Martinelli" will start circulating, that opening it "hacks your phone in 10 seconds" and that nothing can stop it. It asks you to tell everyone you know.

This message landed in three of my groups in the same week. It is not new.

What we found

• The warning has circulated since at least 2017. Spain's national police described it as a hoax that year, and fact-checkers including Snopes have rated it false.
• Security researchers at Sophos have repeatedly called the message a hoax and advised people not to forward it.
• The message often mixes in a real but old warning about a fake "WhatsApp Gold" app, which makes the whole text look more believable.
• No fact-checker or security company has found any video that does what the message describes.

Verdict

False. The "Martinelli" video is a chain-message hoax. The real risks are different: links and apps from unknown sources, and anyone asking you to forward a verification code.

What to do when you receive it: don't forward it, and reply with the fact-check link so the chain stops with you.