Have you received a forward about not clicking on a link called 'popcorn carnival', as it is a 'hidden link' for the Blue Whale challenge? Well, it's fake. The forward, which claims that the link would hack your phone and also provides a phone number to beware of, is originally from 2017, but is going viral again recently.
The forward states:
Blue whale game has started using a phone number please don't call or receive any call or message from this blue whale number +91-7574999xxx Forward this to as much contact as possible.
Don't click any link naming "popcorn carnival".Its the hidden link for the blue whale challenge. They'll hack your mobile and blackmail you to play blue whale game...share as much as possible. don't be lazy to share...
Blue whale hackers: They say that tomorrow a video comes out by whatsapp, it's called martinelli, do not open it, it hacks your phone in 10 seconds and it can not be stopped in any way. Pass the data to your friends.
Hope You Know About this..
The message had initially gone viral in 2017 in Spain, when the Blue Whale challenge was in the news. At the time, the Spanish police had also put out a statement on social media, pointing out that it was fake.
The fake message has since spread to India as well.
The Blue Whale Challenge, reportedly created by a former convict in Russia, is said to psychologically provoke players to indulge in self-destructive tasks for 50 days before finally taking the "winning" step of killing themselves -- and each task must be filmed and shared as "proof".
The challenge had gone viral among teens across the world in 2017, including in India.
As reports started coming in of teens in India also taking up the challenge, the Union government directed internet majors like Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft and Yahoo to erase links pertaining to it.
"Instances of children committing suicide due to Blue Whale Challenge have been reported in India... You are hereby requested to ensure that any such link of this deadly game in its own name or similar game is immediately removed from your platform," the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology stated.