Imagine receiving an alert on your phone from a government agency at night, warning you about an alien attack, when you have barely made it onto your bed.
That is what happened to thousands of residents across seven cities in Brazil, who received the alert at 1:30 a.m. on June 19 and 20.
The alert, which also reportedly contained a spelling mistake when it was delivered in Rio de Janeiro, caused widespread confusion.
While this could have caused people to panic, the system was shut down shortly after, and the real reason behind the alert came to be known later.
“ALIEN ATTACK, PEOPLE, WE HAVE ARRIVED”
According to a report by Dexerto, residents received a message that read: “Protect yourselves: ALIEN ATTACK, PEOPLE, WE HAVE ARRIVED.”
However, in reality, it was not the government that circulated the message but a group of hackers who had breached Brazil’s national emergency alert system overnight.
They reportedly sent fake alerts to residents, and some messages warned of an incoming alien attack. The messages set off extreme alert sounds on mobile phones across the country before the system was forced to go offline at 1:30 a.m.
People in Rio de Janeiro were startled by the alert, which had spelling errors, a point that may have suggested the alert was not legitimate. It read, “misantropo ADRESS RJ burros dms pprt,” which, in English, reads, “Misanthrope. Address: Rio de Janeiro. Very stupid, for real.” [translated by ChatGPT]
Although the alerts contained the word “misanthrope,” which refers to a person who dislikes humanity, the report confirmed that there was no connection to a real public threat.
A user shared a screenshot of the alert on their phone, stating that in Belo Horizonte, people were warned about an “Alien Attack.” The message read:
“⚠️ ALERT!
Possibility of a tornado in the Belo Horizonte/MG region.
“🦺 Protect yourself:
ALIEN ATTACK, HUMANS WE HAVE ARRIVED misanthrope
“📝 Description:
ALIEN ATTACK, HUMANS WE HAVE ARRIVED misanthrope
“📅 This alert is valid until 25/06/2026 at 14:15
“💡 You received this message because you have this location enabled in your Civil Defense alerts.” [Message translated by ChatGPT]
Em Belo Horizonte, complementaram como “Ataque Alienígena” pic.twitter.com/1rml1Gzf8u
— Vanessa Alves (@Vanessa22820272) June 20, 2026
Brazil’s National Civil Protection confirmed after the incident that the messages were sent by an unauthorized third party. The case has now been handed over to the Federal Police for investigation. No suspects have been identified yet.
Users React to Post on X About False Emergency
Many citizens from Brazil have commented on the post shared by journalist Sam Pancher on X. Some reactions have been translated by the social media platform and are shared below:
One user asked who would trust the system when there is a real emergency. It reads:
“The most worrying thing isn’t even the word used. It’s knowing that a system created to warn about risks is vulnerable. If this happens, how will the population trust it when there’s a real emergency?”
Another user described it as a scary experience:
“For sure the system was hacked by a hacker, or some group that hates humans. It was scary 😟”
A user revealed how different messages were shared across different cities, and attempted to find a common link between them:
“First in Curitiba saying ‘misantropia’, 1 hr later it was in São Paulo, saying ‘misantropi4’, there’s also in Rio talking about misantropo, but it wasn’t a single incident, it seems like something coordinated / aligned to me.”
One user said the alert woke them up:
“This is extremely serious, I woke up scared, this government is a mess”