Fake Antivirus Pop-up Telling You to Call Support by SMS

How it looks by SMS, the red flags and what to do.

On SMS the scammer has only a few lines to work with, so they use a deadline, a threat or a prize and a link that must be tapped "now". Fake Antivirus Pop-up Telling You to Call Support is one of the ways this shows up: A browser page flashes a loud virus warning with a helpline number or an 'install cleaner' button. It is an advertisement trap, not a real scan.

What fake antivirus pop-up telling you to call support looks like by SMS

• A request to call a number, install an app or share an OTP.
• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.
• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.

The set-up is a web page, often reached from a free movie site, a short link or a redirect from an ad. It uses scripts to fill the screen, vibrate the phone or play a siren sound. Fake scanning bars and counters show frightening figures. The logo of a well-known security brand is copied to make the warning appear official, and the page may try to stop you from closing the tab.

Red flags to check on the text message

• A web page claims to have scanned your phone, which websites cannot do.
• The message uses loud sounds, a countdown and threats about your SIM or photos.
• A button offers an instant clean and a number offers certified support.
• The page makes it hard to close or sends you to an app download.
• It promises a refund, prize or cashback you never asked for.
• It tells you to install an app from a link instead of the official store.

What to do

1. Close the tab, or close the browser from the recent apps list, without tapping any button.
2. Clear the browser's history and cache from its settings.
3. Do not call the number or install an app from the page.
4. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.
5. Do not reply, do not tap the link and do not call the number in the message.
6. Open the official app or type the official website yourself to see if there is any real notice.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

If money or a code is already gone

1. If you paid by card or UPI, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.
2. Tell your bank using the number on your card and ask them to block the card if you shared details.
3. Uninstall any cleaner or remote-access app you installed and change passwords from another device.
4. Keep screenshots of the page, the number called and the payment.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Phone scan in Safeavio Sentinel reviews installed apps, requested permissions and risky settings, and it shows what looks wrong in plain words, so you can judge a cleaner app that was pushed at you. Link check can test a suspicious link before you open it. A web page cannot truly scan your phone, and Safeavio does not remove malware by magic; it tells you what looks wrong and how to fix it.

Full guide: Fake Antivirus Pop-up Telling You to Call Support: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: fake app, social media, phone call.

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