Four Hoax Whatsapp BCs Debunked!
With the “broadcast message” feature on WhatsApp, it is relatively easy for false information to be spread among its users. Because of this, we are debunking all the false information shared via the social application. Check out these hoaxes and the actual truth below:
Hoax 1
“Tomorrow at 4 AM, WhatsApp will be censoring all inactive users. We require our active users to forward this message to at least 10 people in your contact list to confirm our active users using WhatsApp. If you do not send this message to all your contacts, WhatsApp will then start to charge you. Your account will remain inactive with the consequence of losing all your contacts.”
The truth
Messages such as this that threaten users of Whatsapp deactivating users from the application or even charging for services, which really are free, have been going around since the social chat application came into existence years ago. The best course of action when this happens is to just ignore or delete the message.
Hoax 2
“In view of the recently observed violent rainstorms, we should expect more heavy downpours with intense lightning flashes. To avoid risks to lives and property, the general public is hereby advised to avoid using mobile phones when its raining. Let’s all stay safe in this changing climate.”
The truth
Nothing really “attracts” lightning. The key thing is to stay safe when there are lightning flashes, as it is dangerous to be outside while there’s a heavy rainstorm, with or without a cell phone on you.
Hoax 3
“A Kenyan woman suffering from headaches consulted a doctor and discovered the cause was flesh-eating “worms” nibbling at her scalp. These worms were maggots seen in decomposing corpses. Apparently, she had fixed a human hair weave gotten from a ‘dead person’. The flesh-eating worms were living in the weaves.”
The truth
The process weaves go through makes it impossible for maggots to live. Maggots later metamorphose to flies and will not still be maggots by the time it is sold to users. Human hair that is intended for weaves is treated by washing and sorting the tresses to match the texture of hair gotten from various sources. The colour of the tresses is equally matched before turning it into a hair accessory.
Hoax 4
“Good day Christians all over the world. There is a spiritual emergency going on all over the world now. The devil has come again to sway people into his kingdom and this time it’s with a type of dance called teh dab or dabbing…But what many don’t know is that dance is actually devilish! DAB stands for Demonstrating Antichrist’s Bow which is actually what it is, a bow to the devil’
Truth
Dab is a dance move originated in Atlanta, USA and said to have been created by American rap trio Migos. This dance move and many others that have come after it are popular and danced by people all round because it is trendy and helps create a buzz for the songs and the musicians alike. Dab is definitely not ‘Demonstrating Antichrist’s Bow’ and we are pretty certain that this dance is not a bow to the devil or anybody.
