Contributor
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3 Messages
android virus
I get a popup when browsing local news sites. It says AT&T Wireless Rewards and disables the "go back" button on the phone so I can't go anywhere else. It's about a free iphone. I use the standard "internet" button on the phone to access the internet, but got the same with Chrome as well. Have been to local device support 3 times, did a factory reset, and called into tech support 3 times...the things they did were no help. They offered to replace the phone, but I'm not convinced this will help given that a factory reset did not help. I can't be the only person with this. I turned off "Receive web notifications" and turned off auto sync today before clearing cache and cookies, so I'll wait and see. Hopefully there's a savvy person on here who can help.
formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.3K Messages
8 years ago
It's adware, not a virus. Clearing the cache from your browser should help. If you have free music downloads or games they often are the culprit and being the adware onto the phone.
I do use free music down loaders, but delete the app after I down load to prevent these pop ups.
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question4u
Contributor
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3 Messages
8 years ago
Thanks for the reply. In my opinion, it's a virus if it disables a physical button on the phone. It returns after clearing cache and even factory reset. I'm very careful about the websites I go to, on both phone and pc...sticking to a few mainstream sites. I don't use the phone for games nor music, and wouldn't know how to download music. The only apps I download is Yahoo Mail and Lookout. The problem has not returned since I disabled auto-sync, so it's possible this was coming from the Google account somehow. Still not sure how to fix it but at least I might have a temp fix. Thanks again.
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SteelersPitt
Scholar
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351 Messages
8 years ago
It's a coincidence that it stopped with AutoSync. What most likely happened is that the company that distributes ads found out that they had been hacked, and they got rid of the offensive ad.
You can use any term you want to call it, according to IT terminology it is NOT a virus, it is an offensive Ad. You can call it a Llama if you want, it doesn't make it a Llama. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just letting you know, it is not a virus. Someone hacked the supplier for ads for your news site. If this happens in the future, you shouldn't replace your phone, you should choose a new site to get your news. Like it or not, it is their fault, and the fault of their ad supplier.
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