FACT CHECK: Will ATMs be closed for three days because of a Pakistan ransomware attack?

The Press Information Bureau’s fact-check handle on X, @PIBFactCheck, flagged a forward that is going viral on social media. It is regarded to be part of the disinformation war launched by non-state actors in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.

The forward makes three points:

The first is that ATMs across India will remain shut for three days, which covers the rest of the week and Monday, May 12. The reason is said to be a ransomware attack.

The second point is a warning about a video attachment titled ‘Dance of the Hillary’. The attachment would format your mobile phone, the forward says. BBC Radio is attributed as the source.

Thirdly, the forward says that the ransomware attack is not targeted at India alone. Seventy-four countries, it says, have been affected.

ALSO READ: Who attacked Karachi? Will brief today, says Indian Navy. Meet the key officers who guard India’s western waters

The PIB Fact Check addresses only the first point and debunks it. PIB confirms that all ATMs will work as usual, so there is no reason to panic.

About the second point, our research shows that this forward has been around as far as 2017. On LinkedIn, Brian J. Ford, an award-winning biologist and Fellow of Cardiff University, had this to say about ‘Dance of the Hillary’ in 2017: “These messages spread like a manual virus - but they are meaningless twaddle designed to waste your time (and mine, writing this).” He added that BBC Radio had made no such claim.

As both above points have been debunked, one can make an informed guess that the third claim that 74 countries have been targeted is also “meaningless twaddle”.

Also, if it is payback for Operation Sindoor, why are 74 countries targeted when it is India’s operation? Change the script, guys.

Defence