Fact Check

'Sonia Disowns Rahul' Virus Hoax

Warnings that cell phone users should not accept the video "Sonia Disowns Rahul" because it contains a malicious virus are a hoax.

Published March 15, 2016

Claim:
Cell phone users should not accept a video entitled "Sonia Disowns Rahul" because it contains a malicious virus.

In March 2016, a message circulated warning users not to "accept" a viral video entitled "Sonia Disowns Rahul" because it contained a malicious virus:

Screenshot 2016-03-16 at 1.26.52 PM

The multiple versions of this warning circulated in March 2016 mostly had two things in common: They claimed that the warning originated "on the radio," and they urged recipients to forward the message to their entire contact list.

We found no record, however, of any radio station earnestly warning people about the purported "Sonia Disowns Rahul" cell phone virus, nor have there been news articles about the dangers of the video or warnings issued by antivirus companies. In fact, the only mentions we could find about "Sonia Disowns Rahul" virus were the circulated warnings themselves.

The "Sonia Disowns Rahul" virus hoax bore a striking resemblance to the "Dance Of the Pope" hoax that surfaced in October 2015. Both of these hoaxes claimed that the warning had originated "on the radio," and urged people to forward the message to everyone on their contact list. In both instances, we concluded that there was no evidence that the virus ever existed, and that the circulated message was nothing more than a hoax.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.