Help Friend believes crazy boyfriend is tracking and monitoring her phone

Privacy invasion · Sep 4, 2016

Hey I wonder if you guys can help? My friend believes her boyfriend is monitoring her phone. He seems to have the ability to read her text messages, see her facebook, see her instagram. He seems to have the ability to track her and know where she is all the time.

Do you know if there is any way I can try to uncover anything that he may have installed. He did have access to the phone for a few hours. Its from that point that the problem started.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

scary alien · Sep 4, 2016

A factory data reset (Settings -> Backup & reset -> Factory data reset) is probably your friend's best option here--barring finding software to completely flash it back to stock (that's very device-dependent) in case the boyfriend installed a spyware app.

If he managed to root the device and install a spyware app in the /system partition, it's going to be difficult to remove it without rooting the device, much less identify it.

Also, it wouldn't hurt to backup the device's "SD card" (external) storage just in case--that's always a prudent thing to do anyway.

Jfalls63 · Sep 4, 2016

Probably wouldn't hurt to change passwords on all of her accounts also.

scary alien · Sep 4, 2016

Jfalls63 said:
Probably wouldn't hurt to change passwords on all of her accounts also.

Ah, yes--thank you (again

) @Jfalls63--probably best to change them after the factory reset operation so if there is indeed spyware installed, they won't capture or be informed of the new passwords (presuming the reset does its job).

delawaredrew · Sep 4, 2016

It's kind of heavy for a tech site but I'll be more direct about this as it has happened to a family member and grew quite dangerous.
If you are in the US or UK this is a certainly a criminal act. Your local law enforcement may or may not take it seriously however they are best equipped to handle it so they should be high on your options list.

If I was in this situation I'd advise her to follow the reset and password change advice but also assume that a person willing to digitally and surreptitiously stalk an ex is potentially a physical threat and advise her to go to the police if she feels at all threatened.

That may seem like a drastic step but online stalking can and does turn into real world problems. Taking precautions for one's own safety is not unreasonable.

AZgl1500 · Sep 4, 2016

and the passwords need to be something weird unlike anything she has been using.

I have used some really long ones, especially with my banks and PayPal.
there I let LastPass keep track of them, and enter them for me.

just a simple thing like $$10203040%%mine can be a very effective password if she does not want to use a Password Manager.

I change my financial passwords every time the banks send out their notices...
about six months is the rule.

My password on Facebook is 24 characters long, and convoluted like you would not believe.... I don't trust FB farther than I can see the edge of my phone

Fox Mulder · Sep 4, 2016

She needs to change BF's, regardless of what she does with the phone. And take steps to protect herself. I agree this goes far beyond being a simple tech issue-

Help Friend believes crazy boyfriend is tracking and monitoring her phone

Privacy invasion

Guest

scary alien

not really so scary

Jfalls63

Android Expert

scary alien

not really so scary

delawaredrew

Lurker

AZgl1500

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Fox Mulder

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