Fake Phone Cleaner, Booster and Antivirus Apps 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 Phone Cleaner, Booster and Antivirus Apps is one of the ways this shows up: Cleaner, booster and 'virus removal' apps promise speed but fill your phone with ads or ask for powerful permissions. Learn what to avoid.

What fake phone cleaner, booster and antivirus apps looks like by SMS

• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.
• A very short message with a deadline such as "today" or "within 24 hours".
• A shortened or oddly spelled link that does not match the real website.

The set-up is a store listing or an outside link for an app with a promise of faster speed, longer battery life or protection from viruses. The listing uses glowing reviews and screenshots of a scan. Once installed, the app shows a fake scan with large numbers of 'issues' that increase each time you open it. A button says 'Fix all', which leads to a paid upgrade or a request for more permissions.

Red flags to check on the text message

• An app finds dozens of threats at the first scan and urges you to pay.
• It asks for accessibility, notification or display-over-other-apps permissions.
• Ads appear on your lock screen or outside the app.
• A free trial hides a weekly subscription.
• The message asks for an OTP, PIN, card number or password.
• It threatens blocking, arrest, disconnection or a fine unless you act at once.

What to do

1. Uninstall cleaner or booster apps and use the phone's built-in storage and battery tools.
2. Check your permissions list and remove special access you do not need.
3. Cancel subscriptions in your store account and ask your operator to stop any bill-based charges.
4. Paste the text into a scam checker (Safeavio Sentinel can check it) before you do anything else.
5. Report the sender on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) and block the number.
6. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.

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 for a subscription, cancel it in your store account and request a refund through the store.
2. If card details were shared, call your bank on the number on your card and ask them to block it.
3. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in if money was taken without consent.
4. Remove the app and change passwords if it had broad permissions.

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

Phone scan in Safeavio Sentinel reviews installed apps, requested permissions and risky settings, and highlights apps that ask for more access than they need, so you can see whether a cleaner is overreaching. It also flags apps outside a store and apps that look like copies of other apps. Safeavio does not speed up your phone and does not remove software by magic; it tells you what looks wrong and how to fix it.

Full guide: Fake Phone Cleaner, Booster and Antivirus Apps: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: fake app, social media, WhatsApp.

Questions