Messages About Viruses and Spyware

[HunnieBunnie]

I have been getting messages to download a free thing to scan for viruses and spyware. I have been ignoring them. I would never download something like that to my computer. Are these even legit? Anyone get them?? Can my phone get a virus anyway??

 

[alfick3]

I have been getting messages to download a free thing to scan for viruses and spyware. I have been ignoring them. I would never download something like that to my computer. Are these even legit? Anyone get them?? Can my phone get a virus anyway??

Viruses are possible, but not highly probable.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Where are the messages from? Random texts on your phone or something on your PC? Don't ever install anything that is offered to you in this manner, guaranteed it's some form of malware. Although phones generally don't get viruses like PC's, there are plenty of malicious apps that can harvest data and personal info from your phone and do other bad things. Only install apps from the Play store, and stick with ones that are from known developers with lots of downloads and positive reviews.

 

[unnamedny]

if you are getting this messages, that means that you already installed something you should not have.

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

That there ^^^ What HE said.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

[HunnieBunnie]

Where are the messages from? Random texts on your phone or something on your PC? Don't ever install anything that is offered to you in this manner, guaranteed it's some form of malware. Although phones generally don't get viruses like PC's, there are plenty of malicious apps that can harvest data and personal info from your phone and do other bad things. Only install apps from the Play store, and stick with ones that are from known developers with lots of downloads and positive reviews.

It comes in on the very top of the phone where my little messages icon comes in with the little M on it. It comes in with a little gold star symbol. If I tap it to get rid of it, it starts to connect through metroweb. I just stop the connection and close the metroweb app.

I have not downloaded anything except a few things from the app store. The apps I have are Pulse, eBay, Merriam-Webster, BBC News, Craigslist, Yahoo Mail, Yard Sale Treasures, GWiki, TED, History Eraser BofA, Chase, babbel French, Amazon, and WFAA. All of these came from the app store.

Believe me, I am not smart enough with these phones to do anything very sophisticated with them.

 

[blaze420916]

It's a form of advertising and spam one of the apps you have pushes those messages. Get rid of the app that does it and those messages will stop. There is a app that will search your apps to find which one does it but I'm not sure of the name. Someone in here will point you to the right direction or just Google it

 

[blaze420916]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brosmike.airpushdetector&hl=en

 

[Eyepatchdude]

Yeah.. run the airpush detector.. it'll tell you which app is being naughty and sending you ads in the notification bar

 

[sammyz]

My bet is on the history eraser

 

[blaze420916]

My bet is on the history eraser

I have history eraser and I don't get notifications like that

 

[viperdink]

I use history eraser all the time but i usally run "norton spot" first to find the loop holes. Then i install Ad blocker, the one Game theory has shared.
Using the three stops most of this after you uninstall the apps that let the junk there in the first place.

Edit; Adblocker need rooting ; nvm

 

[HunnieBunnie]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brosmike.airpushdetector&hl=en

Thanks for the help, blaze. I downloaded the app, but it did not detect any apps that were pushing ads. Said it may be a new one, though, that Airpush does not yet detect.

 

[devilswife66]

if you are getting this messages, that means that you already installed something you should not have.

Hello, I am completely new to the forum, and I have never tried to root or anything like that. However, I have recently discovered that my husband has put some kind of spyware on my phone, and I want it off, or I would like info on some kind of counter spyware. Can you help me or direct me to the right forum for this? I have an LG Motion 4G by Metro PCS, and I have a couple of suspicious looking apps on here that I can't remove. Its really frustrating to know that he can have this kind of control over my phone, and I am helpless.

 

[Spdfreak34]

What are the names of the suspicious apps? The more information you give the better help you will receive.

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

This one has good reviews and also a semi XDA developer "stand of approval".

The price is right too.

Let us know if/what it catches!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.antispycell.free&hl=en

Oh! and WELCOME!

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

[HunnieBunnie]

Okay, another one came in today. A little gold star appeared at the top left hand corner of phone's screen. I tapped, it and saw that it came from ad.leadbolt.apps or some such. I tapped on it and it too me to lw.pch.com/?adld=12465&extld=137-1168137&p=10036210, an ad for publisher's clearing house. So, the leadbolt is what is pushing these ads to me. There is an app on their site to down loa to "opt out" of their ads, but I have not downloaded it. I am afraid it might make things worse.

Any ideas what app is causing this junk to come in via leadbolt ads?