Fake "extreme alert" reaches cell phones across the country; tool is disabled
A false alert with the word "misantropi4" was sent in the early hours of Saturday (20) to cell phones in several states in Brazil. Initially, the "extreme alert" message was sent to devices in the state of Paraná, but a second warning was sent a few minutes ago to cell phones in São Paulo and Rio Janeiro.
In a statement, the Civil Defense of São Paulo stated that the alert was not sent by any of its agents and that, to date, there is no record of an incident that justifies the issuance of an extreme alert related to the reported content.
The statement also explains that the Cellbroadcast tool, used to send the severe and extreme alert, is managed by Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) and has been temporarily disabled until the situation is clarified. The São Paulo Civil Defense said it contacted Anatel and other institutions involved in the system's operation to investigate the origin of the message.
In addition to the alert on the Cellbroadcast platform, residents of the city of São Paulo also reported having received a message with the same content via SMS.
In Paraná, the state government stated that the alert was not raised by the state's Civil Defense and that there is no severe event predicted for Curitiba. The state agency said it contacted the National Civil Defense and Anatel about the case.
The alert sent a few minutes ago did not come from the Civil Defense of Paraná. The body has already contacted the National Civil Defense and Anatel. There are no severe events predicted for Curitiba.
- Government of the State of Paraná (@governoparana) June 20, 2026
The Civil Defense of Rio de Janeiro confirmed that it did not trigger any alert and said that the communication received by users "results from an instability in the IDAP/Cell Broadcast alert sending system, a platform under the responsibility of the National Civil Defense, linked to the Federal Government".
The body also clarified that there is, so far, no risk situation related to natural disasters that justifies issuing an alert to the population of Rio de Janeiro and that it continues to monitor the situation.
CNN contacted Anatel and has not yet received a response.
What is misanthropy?
According to the Michaelis On-line dictionary, misanthropy means "horror to humanity or aversion to human nature" and, by extension, "a state characterized by deep sadness; depression, melancholy"; "tendency to avoid the company of other people or to cultivate isolation."
Source: CNN