BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Coronavirus: The seven types of people who start and spread viral misinformation

  • Published
    4 May 2020
Share page
About sharing
Media caption,

Who starts viral misinformation... and who spreads it?

ByMarianna Spring
Specialist disinformation reporter

Conspiracy theories, misinformation and speculation about coronavirus have flooded social media. But who starts these rumours? And who spreads them?

We've investigated hundreds of misleading stories during the pandemic. It's given us an idea about who is behind misinformation - and what motivates them. Here are seven types of people who start and spread falsehoods:

"Joker": Jester in red and yellow on red background

You'd hope no-one was fooled by a WhatsApp voice note claiming the government was cooking a giant lasagne in Wembley stadium to feed Londoners. But some people didn't get the joke.

To take a slightly more serious example, a prankster created a screenshot of a fake government text that claimed the recipient had been fined for leaving the house too many times. He thought it would be funny to scare people breaking lockdown rules.

After encouraging his followers to share it on Instagram, it found its way to local Facebook groups, where it was posted by worried residents, some of whom took it seriously.

"I don't really want to cause panic," says the prankster, who wouldn't give us his real name. "But if they believe a screenshot on social media, they really need to sort of re-evaluate the way they consume information on the internet."

  • The people fighting fakes from their sofas

  • How you can stop bad information from going viral

  • What we know about those NHS Twitter bot rumours

"Scammer": Man in suit holding bag of money

Other fake texts claiming to be from the government or local councils have been generated by scammers looking to make money from the pandemic.

One such scam investigated by fact-checking charity Full Fact, external in March claimed that the government was offering people relief payments and asked for bank details.

Photos of the scam text were shared on Facebook. Since it circulated by text message, it's difficult to get to the bottom of who was behind them.

Scammers started using fake news about the virus to make money as early as February, with emails suggesting people could "click for a coronavirus cure review" or suggesting they were entitled to a tax refund because of the outbreak.

"Politician": Cartoon politician on red background

Misinformation doesn't just come from dark corners of the internet.

Last week President Donald Trump questioned whether exposing patients' bodies to UV light or injecting bleach could help treat the coronavirus. He was speculating and took facts out of context.

He later claimed the comments were sarcastic. But that didn't stop people from phoning hotlines to ask about treating themselves with disinfectant.

It's not just the US President. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman promoted the idea that Covid-19 might have been brought to Wuhan by the US Army. Conspiracy theories about the outbreak have been discussed in prime time on Russian state TV, and by pro-Kremlin Twitter accounts.

  • Trump’s claims about disinfectant and sunlight fact-checked

  • False claims by politicians debunked

"Conspiracy theorist": Man in glasses and hoodie sitting at laptop

All the uncertainty about the virus has created a perfect breeding ground for conspiracy theories.

A false story of murky origins claiming the first volunteer to take part in a UK vaccine trial had died circulated in big anti-vaccination and conspiracy Facebook groups. It was fiction.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by Fergus Walsh

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by Fergus Walsh

Interviews with David Icke on YouTube, which have since been removed, also peddled false claims that 5G is linked to coronavirus. Mr Icke also appeared on a London TV station, which was found to have breached the UK's broadcasting standards. His Facebook page was later taken down, the company said, for publishing "health misinformation that could cause physical harm".

Conspiracy theories have led to scores of attacks on 5G masts.

  • Reality Check: No, 5G does not spread coronavirus

  • Covid-19 5G theories are 'most common' misinformation

  • Ofcom rules on Holmes and Icke coronavirus remarks

"The Insider": Cartoon man in lab coat and sunglasses on red background.

Sometimes misinformation seems to come from a trustworthy source - a doctor, professor or hospital worker.

But often the "insider" is nothing of the sort.

A woman from Crawley in West Sussex was the originator of a panicky voice note predicting dire - and completely unsubstantiated - death tolls for young and healthy coronavirus sufferers. She claimed to have inside information through her work at an ambulance service.

  • Ambulance worker virus voice message 'not correct'

She did not respond to requests for comment or provide proof of her job, so we don't know whether she actually is a health worker. But we do know that the claims in her voice note were unfounded.

"The relative": a woman looking at her phone

That alarming voice note and many others went viral because they worried people, who then shared the messages with friends and family.

That includes Danielle Baker, a mum of four from Essex, who forwarded a note on Facebook messenger "just in case it was true".

"At first I was a bit wary because it was sent from a lady that I didn't know," she says. "I forwarded it on because myself and my sister have babies the same age and also have older children, and we all have high risk in our households."

They're trying to be helpful and they think they're doing something positive. But, of course, that doesn't make the messages they pass along true.

  • How bad information goes viral

  • Jeff Bezos did not say this about coronavirus

"The Celebrity": Woman in hat and striped dress against red background

It's not just your mum or uncle. Celebrities have helped amplified misleading claims go mainstream.

The singer M.I.A. and actor Woody Harrelson are among those who have been promoting the 5G coronavirus theory to their hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

A recent report, external by the Reuters Institute found that celebrities play a key role in spreading misinformation online.

Some have huge platforms on traditional media as well. Eamonn Holmes was criticised for appearing to give some credence to the 5G conspiracy theorists on ITV This Morning.

"What I don't accept is mainstream media immediately slapping that down as not true when they don't know it's not true," he said.

Mr Holmes later apologised and Ofcom "issued guidance" to ITV, deeming the comments "ill-judged".

Illustrations by Simon Martin. Additional reporting by Olga Robinson.

Is there a story we should be investigating? Email Marianna, external

We've been nominated for a Webby Award - if you appreciate the work we do vote for us here, external.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCtrending, external or on Facebook, external.

Top stories

  • Live. 

    Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to first phase of Gaza peace deal, paving way for ceasefire

    • 12735 viewing13k viewing
  • 'Momentous opportunity': World reacts to first stage of Gaza peace deal

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • What we know about the 'first phase' of the Gaza peace deal

    • Published
      2 hours ago

More to explore

  • Stars, secrets and slip-ups: Celebrity Traitors is off to a cracking start

    Claudia Winkleman sitting in an armchair in the Traitors castle in Scotland
  • Young children taking knives to school, BBC finds

    Graphic: Knives in foreground, in background children sitting at school desks.
  • 'I'll axe stamp duty' and 'My Maddie hoax agony'

    Newspaper headlines: Tories vow to scrap stamp duty and Madeline McCann's parents give testimony in alleged stalking case
  • 'It was like a movie' - How immigration raid on Chicago apartments unfolded

    Image of law enforcement officer pointing a gun, with sparks in the background
  • Inside the room where Nobel Peace Prize is decided – but will Trump get his wish?

    Members of the Nobel Peace Prize committee and secretary sit around a table in the room where they make their decision
  • 'I cried every day': Victoria Beckham tells of fashion woes in new Netflix doc

    Victoria Beckham in a green dress
  • The battle for Scotland's flag: Why the right has adopted the saltire

    A man raises his fist while standing in front of a group of people waving flags, including saltires and a union flag.
  • How Britain's membership of the ECHR became a political hot potato

    Montage image showing Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and Sir Keir Starmer
  • The Upbeat newsletter: Start your week on a high with uplifting stories delivered to your inbox

    A graphic of a wave in the colours of yellow, amber and orange against a pink sky
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Kate warns too much screen time damages family life

  2. 2

    America's top banker sounds warning on US stock market fall

  3. 3

    Have Russians set up a military base in my childhood home?

  4. 4

    'I'll axe stamp duty' and 'My Maddie hoax agony'

  5. 5

    Water bills to rise further for millions after appeal

  6. 6

    Stars, secrets and slip-ups: Celebrity Traitors is off to a cracking start

  7. 7

    Young children taking knives to school, BBC finds

  8. 8

    'I cried every day': Victoria Beckham tells of fashion woes in new Netflix doc

  9. 9

    The battle for Scotland's flag: Why the right has adopted the saltire

  10. 10

    Liberal Democrat membership has halved in 5 years

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Rom-com starring Aimee Lou Wood and Nabhaan Rizwan

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Film Club has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Film Club
  • Exposing a pro-Russian fake news operation

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Global Eye has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Global Eye: Inside a Pro-Russian Fake News Operation
  • Leonardo DiCaprio discusses his new film

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Movies With Ali Plumb has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Movies With Ali Plumb: Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
  • The rise and downfall of Margaret Thatcher

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Thatcher: A Very British Revolution has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Thatcher: A Very British Revolution
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.