False claim of malware disguised as message about COVID-19 and Mexico | Fact check

Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: A message claiming Mexico cured COVID-19 is being spread as malware

A Sept. 14 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shared by Mexican-born American rapper MC Magic warns about a fast-acting phone virus.

“From 1 of my homies,” the image in the post reads. “URGENT ALERT-WARNING. They are going to publish an image that shows how Covid 19 (sic) is cured in Mexico and it is called 'Mexico did it,' do not open it because it enters the phone in 5 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. IT IS A VIRUS. Pass it on to your friends and family. Now they also said it on CNN and BBC. DO NOT OPEN IT. Please let your friends know. On the news today.”

The Instagram post was liked more than 4,000 times in one day.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: False

This claim has circulated in various forms since at least 2021, and it's as wrong now as it was then. Experts said there’s no evidence such malware is spreading through a message about Mexico.

Malware claim debunked before

In 2021, a message on WhatsApp warning of an alleged malware attack disguised as a message about Mexico curing COVID-19 went viral. But fact-checking organizations, including Snopes and Maldita, found no evidence that was occurring.

The Spanish National Police and the Mexican Cybersecurity Association told Maldita at the time that there was no official threat and that they had not received credible information about such a virus.

There is no evidence such malware is circulating currently either, the Mexican Cybersecurity Association told USA TODAY.

Fact check: No, Beyoncé was not banned by NFL for singing 'alternative national anthem' | Fact check

“We reviewed the post that mentions it, and we have no report about it,” the association wrote via email. “However, we do not doubt that this or more of this type of fake news may be circulating whose objective is to lead users to fake sites or indeed download some type of malware.”

An internet search found no news coverage from CNN or BBC about the supposed malware.

Gianluca Stringhini, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University, also told USA TODAY the claim was a well-known hoax that has circulated before.

MC Magic told USA TODAY in an email that he had been forwarded the claim.

“That was simply sent by a friend, we do not have any additional information besides wanting people to be aware. Better safe than sorry,” he wrote.

If a person gets an unexpected or suspicious message, even if it comes from someone they know, it is best not to download it, the Mexican Cybersecurity Association said. The agency suggested having an anti-malware program for protection.

The claim has also been debunked by Lead Stories.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Experts say no evidence of malware message about Mexico | Fact check