IN SHORT: Several social media posts claim users will receive photos of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand as files called “seismic waves cards” and that these files will “hack your phone in 10 seconds”. But that’s not true; this old claim uses recent events to try to fool users for reach.
“Alert ⚠️‼️‼️‼️‼️DO NOT OPEN IT,” starts a message sent to us by subscribers to our WhatsApp line.
It goes on: “They are going to upload some photos of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand on Whatsapp. The file is called Seismic Waves CARD, do not open or see it, it will hack your phone in 10 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. Pass the information on to your family and friends. DO NOT OPEN IT. They also said it on TV.”
The same claim has been making the rounds on social media in South Africa and other parts of the world here, here and here. It even appears in groups with large followings.
Africa Check readers might recognise parts of this claim from previous debunks, so let’s get straight to the facts.
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar
The claim refers to the 28 March 2025 event when a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Mandalay, the second-largest city in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar.
The earthquake claimed thousands of lives and injured many others as it toppled buildings, creating a shortage of food, water and shelter.
It was also felt in neighbouring countries, including Thailand, where a high-rise building under construction collapsed.
But what about the “seismic waves card” file?
Old claim, new event
A major red flag about this claim is that it’s not new. It circulated in September 2023 and January 2024.
The only slight difference is the “event” of the “seismic waves card” file in each claim. The 2023 message claimed that the photos would be of “the earthquake in Morocco”, while the 2024 version claimed they would be of “fighting in Jewish settlements”.
The 2025 claim states that the photos will show “the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand”.
We see this tactic quite often at Africa Check. Misinformers take old information that previously spread widely and change it slightly to make it seem like a breaking news event. This is all in an attempt to replicate the same reach for their posts or pages.
Other red flags include a lack of a source for the claim and using emojis and capitalisation to promote anger or fear.
There is also still no credible evidence for the claim. If this warning were legit, it would have already made news headlines, especially because it has been circulating since 2023.
Keeping safe from zombie claims
While the warning may be false, it’s still important to never open suspicious files from unknown profiles or numbers. These can potentially hack your device, steal personal information and lead to financial losses.
We’ve also got a few tips on how to keep yourself safe from zombie claims, those that resurrect despite being debunked numerous times before.
- Look for the paper trail: With zombie claims, a simple Google search can often lead to the facts.
- Check the source: Always use trusted news organisations, fact-checking websites and official government sources instead of social media posts without a source.
- Urgency or emotions: If a post asks users to forward the message immediately to friends and family, be cautious. Posts that make you angry, sad or anxious should also raise eyebrows.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
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