The chain letter warning will also spread in 2026, that’s what’s behind it

There are repeated warnings about a mysterious WhatsApp Gold via WhatsApp. Spoiler: It’s a years-old hoax. (Image source: Howaida, Adobe Stock)

Chain letter on WhatsApp: A message has been circulating on WhatsApp for years warning of a WhatsApp Gold update and a video called Martinelli.

In short: Neither the video nor a WhatsApp Gold exist. But the news has been spreading – for almost ten years now.

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What is WhatsApp Gold and the Martinelli video?

A message has been circulating on WhatsApp for years. The user is warned about two things in particular:

1. Martinelli: The user will soon receive a video with the title “Martinelli”. The user should under no circumstances click on this, otherwise the “phone will be hacked”.
2. WhatsApp Gold: There should also be an update for a WhatsApp Gold, which the user will not use under any circumstances click should.

In short: None of this is true, there is neither such a video nor anything called WhatsApp Gold. This is a chain letter intended to spread panic.

Therefore, when you receive such a message, two things apply:

1. Clear up and delete: Stop spreading the message and tell the person you received it from that the message is nonsense.
2. Do not click any links: Some sources suggest that some messages actually have one Download-Link to a WhatsApp Gold or WhatsApp Plus contain. Do not click on this link under any circumstances, clarify the sender and delete the message.

The warnings about WhatsApp Gold and the Martinelli video look something like this. (Image source: Duy Linh Dinh/GameStar Tech)

WhatsApp Gold and Martinelli: An international hoax

As bumpy as the news may seem, it has been circulating internationally for years. The first evidence of this can be found as early as 2017, and GameStar also reported on it at the time. And even then, the Spanish police declared: There is no video named Martinelli.

Link to Twitter content

The Gibraltar police have also warned of the false report. However, as the cybersecurity company Sophos shows, English-language media often point out that the warning is being broadcast via the BBC.

Another keyword also appears here as part of this hoax: instead of Martinelli, the mysterious video is now called Dance of the Pope, Dance of the Pope.

The chain letter also exists in other languages. Here the video in question is sometimes called “Dance of the Pope”. (Image source: sophos.com)

Conclusion: The chain letter is holding up well

As hair-raising as these messages are, they have been going on for almost ten years now and are repeatedly spread via WhatsApp chats. Only massive education will help here.

Chain letters thrive on the fact that they are successively distributed. If you or your loved ones ever receive a message about WhatsApp Gold, WhatsApp Plus, a video called Martinelli or the Pope’s Dance, then only one thing applies: inform those involved and safely delete the message.

What do you think about that? Have you or one of your relatives ever received this or a similar chain letter via WhatsApp? Write us your experiences in the comments!