UPDATE 29 Nov 2012: If you see next to your contacts Error: status unknown- hoax also. Click here
ahhhh !!!! If I get this one more time I am going to explode !!!!
WhatsApp is going to cost us money soon. The only way that it will stay free is if you are a frequent user i.e. you have at least 10 people you are chatting with. To become a frequent user send this message to 10 people who receive it (2 ticks) and your WhatsApp logo should turn Red to indicate a frequent user.
or the other message doing its rounds:
Whatsapp is shutting down on 28th jan Message from Jim Balsamic (CEO of Whatsapp) we have had an over usage of user names on whatsapp Messenger. We are requesting all users to forward this message to their entire contact list. If you do not forward this message, we will take it as your account is invalid and it will be deleted within the next 48 hours. Please DO NOT ignore this message or whatsapp will no longer recognise your activation. If you wish to re-activate your account after it has been deleted, a charge of 25.00 will be added to your monthly bill. We are also aware of the issue involving the pictures updates not showing. We are working diligently at fixing this problem and it will be up and running as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation from the Whatsapp team
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls – please and pretty please, do NOT send the WhatsApp message to your entire contract list. It is a HOAX. There is no truth to this.
These are coming in fast and furious multiple times and even in multiple languages!
The same thing went around after the Blackberry outage last year:
This message is to inform all of our users, that our servers have recently been really full, so we are asking for your help to fix this problem. We need our active users to re-send this message to everyone on your contact list in order to confirm our active users that use BlackBerry Messenger, if you do not send this message to all your BlackBerry Messenger contacts then your account will remain inactive with the consequence of losing all your contacts
Again, this is a HOAX.
Companies such as these, who have millions of users who use their system on a minute by minute basis – will never rely of their users to “pass on” information. They would make their own announcements via the traditional routes (Own website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, press releases etc.) and ensure that their customers are informed.
Please go to Snopes or Hoax-slayer and check it out BEFORE you forward anything to your entire contact list, address book or mailing list.
…more information on how to check if an email (or any message) is legit or not
thanks for formally clarifying this Liron!
By: Ruschka Raidoo on January 19, 2012
at 3:55 pm
[...] “My Whatsapp icons goes RED” – Liron shares frustrations on the open willingness for people to forward messages linked to services, such as those doing the rounds on ‘Whatsapp’, without checking out them out first. Liron states: “Companies such as these will never rely of their users to “pass on” information. They would make their own announcements”, so true. [...]
By: Carnival of the Mobilists #258 | Mobileweb Company on January 23, 2012
at 4:38 pm
[...] like we have another viral message circulating – this time on Facebook and not on WhatsApp or BBM. Seen anything like [...]
By: Facebook Timeline scare message–no need to panic « The Techie Guy – complicated IT translated into simple English on February 7, 2012
at 5:05 pm
[...] other road users.” – this was a hoax, very much like the WhatsApp message that warned that your icons goes red and yet people react to [...]
By: Don’t bother with the facts – grab your pitch forks we are going after Woolworths! « The Techie Guy – Liron Segev on September 9, 2012
at 4:06 pm
its kind off unbelievable how spams like these cross continents really fast. I’m in West Africa and thousands of whatsapp users have already recieved the “message”…… totaly incredible
By: Kwabena Asiedu-Biney on September 13, 2012
at 2:33 pm
I would really like to know who and where this hoax came from?
By: Johnathan Peploe on November 28, 2012
at 11:57 pm
The hoax now asks you to check your contacts and that their status messages will state “Error” and it was just so. How is this possible?
By: Chad Davids on November 29, 2012
at 8:28 am
check out the answer here: http://thetechieguy.com/2012/11/29/how-to-fix-the-whatsapp-contact-error-status-unknown/
By: TheTechieGuy on November 29, 2012
at 4:20 pm
[...] An earlier message this year in January about the Icon going red is also a hoax – check it here [...]
By: How to fix the WhatsApp contact error: status unknown « The Techie Guy – Liron Segev on November 29, 2012
at 4:14 pm
Thanks you very much Africa has been in panic for a long town now with the messages of whatsapp shutting down.
By: Isabel Maseva on December 1, 2012
at 6:34 am