A viral WhatsApp message claiming ATMs across India will be remain inoperational due to a ransomware cyberattack from Pakistan is false. The message went viral soon after the recently ceased military tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on May 7, 2025.
BOOM found that the claim is an old hoax, viral since 2017. The panic inducing message also adds a false warning against online transactions, claiming a virus named, “Dance of the Hillary” would format mobile devices.
Several news outlets including Times Now, Zee News, ABP News, Jagran, and Lokmat, misreported the same, falsely claiming that the “Dance of the Hillary” virus was being spread by Pakistani hackers to users on WhatsApp and Facebook.
The viral WhatsApp message claims ATMs across India will be closed for the coming days due to a ransomware cyberattack originating in Pakistan. It also warns users to avoid online transactions and not open unknown links, videos, or email attachments and names files like two specific files as viruses, including the Dance of the Hillary.
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FACT-CHECK: 2017 Hoax Message Resurfaces
BOOM had in 2017 debunked a WhatsApp forward making a similar claim of a ransomware attack causing ATM closures in India.
We had then reached out to a source familiar with the Reserve Bank of India who rubbished the claim on ATMs not in operation.
The message names a fictional 'Dance of the Hillary' virus. BOOM has previously reported on other cellphone formatting virus, with names like 'Sonia Disowns Rahul' and 'Dance of the Pope" and found all of them to be fake. The current version is a rehash of the same false claim.
Additionally, a virus that formats or destroys data is counter intuitive to collecting ransom.
On May 9, 2025, the State Bank of India (SBI) also posted on X confirming all of their ATMs and digital services remain fully operational and available for public use.
The same hoax message is also circulating in Pakistan with the claim that ATMs in the country would be closed and referencing “tasksche.exe” “Dance of the Hillary". The text of this message is identical to the one going viral in India.
