Help.... phone saying I've got viruses

staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Any advice on what to do next folks?

Had my mobile connected to my home wi-fi, stupidly tried clicking on a link on my phone to unsubscribe from an MG email that came through , but didn't work......

(That email never appeared on my laptop emails)

Next thing the home broadband went off completely. Rang Virgin who got it connected again. As soon as the modem was flashing with correct lights and connection back up , my phone started sounding a really loud siren type alarm with a message saying my phone was infected 28.1% with 4 really bad viruses 'from an adult site' . Message warned that if I continued to use my phone the sim card and any other saved data or photos etc would be corrupted.

I switched the phone off quick, but putting it back on again (using the mobile data instead of wi-fi this time )as soon as I click on the internet the message comes back up again. (Telling me to click on 'ok' to start the process to get rid of virus but no way am I clicking on anything else .)

Now got the phone switched off . If it is infected , is it likely to cause problems if just doing my usual phoning and texting and using Whattsapp?


Edited to say........ Googling has brought up that quite a few people have had this excact same message lately on various different phones, and also naming their phone make and model as it did on mine. They either changed the Chrome settings, or un-installed Chrome completely , and then re-installed off a playstore (?) and it got rid of the message.

Wishing son would hurry up back home to sort me out!
 
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staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
John Marwood said:
WhatsApp is not secure
Click to expand...
Can someone get to the photo's on it that I've sent previously ? (sent copies of documents over it in the past ... :hmm: )

Think I'm going to have to dig my little ancient motorola from the back of the cupboard from years ago. It can't do much, so I won't be able to do much damage!
 
proactive

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Don't panic. Chances are it's just a hoax trying to persuade you to buy some antivirus you don't need.

I think you run Android don't you. If so install the two progs linked to below and install and then run them just to make sure everything is OK. If there is a problem then they'll guide you through how to resolve it, step by step.

Assuming all is OK, uninstall the first one, but keep the one called Panda.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avast.android.mobilesecurity

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pandasecurity.pandaav
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Thanks, yes it's an Android 'Lollipop ' apparently (Huawei .... think I prefer my good old samsung , which died when it didn't like the bath hubby gave it :mad: )

Will get son to do the above when he gets home. I daren't touch anything now and accidentally click on something I shouldn't .

Can't believe the loud siren noise it made , and couldn't stop it without switching the phone off. May have just been co-incidence that the home broadband went down at the same time, and the phone siren sounded just as the Virgin bloke got it connected again. But doing full Malwarebytes and anti-virus scans on the laptop just incase. (Son has a skype job interview arranged for tomorrow morning, so daren't mess the Virgin connection up !)
 
wmrcomputers

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
Like others have said - probably a hoax. I noticed you said it only came back up when you reopened an internet window, so basically it's opening the last fake hoax page each time. Close the page, or if it won't allow you to then properly close the browser by sliding it off screen from your open apps. Then reopen the internet browser and I'm confident you'll be back to normal.
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
wmrcomputers said:
Like others have said - probably a hoax. I noticed you said it only came back up when you reopened an internet window, so basically it's opening the last fake hoax page each time. Close the page, or if it won't allow you to then properly close the browser by sliding it off screen from your open apps. Then reopen the internet browser and I'm confident you'll be back to normal.
Click to expand...
Just tried it again, and isn't letting me close the page. As soon as I go into internet it's bringing the message page straight up, with no way of closing the page , and the alarm siren is going off again. Won't even let me get back out of internet again when pressing the menu button. I'm having to switch the phone completely off.

Gramaisc said:
This is @staffordjas we're talking about here....
Click to expand...
One of these days I will shock you all and fathom this modern technology :D

Got a feeling it will be my million texts (off hubbys PAYG) that will be to blame for sons hangover in the morning ..
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
wmrcomputers said:
Close the page, or if it won't allow you to then properly close the browser by sliding it off screen from your open apps.
Click to expand...
Right, thanks :up:........ errrm.... now written that down (with good reliable pen and paper ) for a suggestion for son...

(daren't switch it back on again, the siren blasting out each time is waking hubby up :blah: )
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
proactive said:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avast.android.mobilesecurity

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pandasecurity.pandaav
Click to expand...
I don't have a phone but do have a tablet that, though i assume it has at least some sort of pre-installed anti-malware sort of arrangement, i realise i haven't actively installed something such as the ^above on it.

Am i correct in making such an assumption, or -

i) would you recommend installing a free/paid for anti-malware app?
ii) if so, which one?

I see you recommend the ^Panda option, just wondered if there were others to consider and what pros/cons there might be for whatever options there are.
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
My Panda antivirus caused problems with my laptop when I installed Malwarebytes alongide it. (Yet it worked fine on sons laptop which was exactly the same model as mine at the time.) I had to have a replacement laptop as it completely wiped everything off. Then the second laptop had the same problem as soon as the replacement Panda disc they sent with it was installed.

I use the free Microsoft Security Essentials , and the full Malwarebytes which has blocked quite a few big nasties since it was installed.





wmrcomputers said:
Like others have said - probably a hoax. I noticed you said it only came back up when you reopened an internet window, so basically it's opening the last fake hoax page each time. Close the page, or if it won't allow you to then properly close the browser by sliding it off screen from your open apps. Then reopen the internet browser and I'm confident you'll be back to normal.
Click to expand...
Sorted :) He's just staggered in and managed to do it for me . Can't remember what he said he was doing (deleting the latest something or other ...) , sliding this that and the other everywhere , but I now have a workable phone again :)

One lesson learnt....don't click any links to 'unsubscribe' to any emails .


Cheers folks .
 
wmrcomputers

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
If there's one thing I've learnt about unsubscribe links in emails it's this. If it's a genuine company (such as Amazon, tesco etc) then an unsubscribe link will actually allow you to unsubscribe. If it's a spam kind of email, then it will add your email address to every Rayban distributor worldwide!!!
 
proactive

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Withnail said:
I don't have a phone but do have a tablet that, though i assume it has at least some sort of pre-installed anti-malware sort of arrangement, i realise i haven't actively installed something such as the ^above on it.

Am i correct in making such an assumption, or -

i) would you recommend installing a free/paid for anti-malware app?
ii) if so, which one?

I see you recommend the ^Panda option, just wondered if there were others to consider and what pros/cons there might be for whatever options there are.
Click to expand...
Most tablets or phones DON'T come with anti nasty stuff as standard.

I used to run avast, both on mobile devices and laptop/PC because it didn't slow things down like AVG did. However on the PC version of avast you get a lot of adverts and nonsense that I couldn't switch off. So I read a few reviews and moved to Panda. Much better on PCs. So I decided to move my mobile devices to Panda as well. I find the interface easier to use and because I have opted for the paid version (simply so that I can keep track of the many and varied devices we have in the family should one get nicked, in your case you'll be fine going for the free version) that's why it's now installed on tablets/phones as well.

I must say I had no problem with avast for mobile.

I can recommend both as suitable for you and would urge you to put one of them on (you don't need both) as although you are less likely to get a virus on a mobile device than you are on a PC, their appearance is on the increase.
 
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