I think I have a virus. What do I do?

[AC Question]

I think I have a virus.

I got a pop up on my browser saying that I had two viruses on my tablet and that if I didn't get rid of them my tablet would get slow. I ran two anti-virus scans on two different apps and they both said there was nothing wrong but today my tablet started getting slower and videos won't load. I don't know what to do? This is my third tablet and I don't want a new one!

 

[mrsmumbles]

Re: I think I have a virus.

That was just an ad that you saw. If you clicked "ok" on it, it may have downloaded malware onto your tablet. Try rebooting your tablet, then download and install from the Google play store Malware Bytes and run it. Good luck.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: I think I have a virus.

Welcome to Android Central! I agree, it's most likely a browser popup ad associated with the website you went to, which was trying to scare you into installing some bogus antivirus app that is probably malicious itself. Hopefully, you didn't fall for it.

Try clearing out all of the data from the browser. Go to Settings>Apps>All, select your browser, and Clear Cache/Clear Data, then Force Stop. Now open the browser again, and surf some safe mainstream sites (like NY Times, Yahoo, etc.). Avoid dodgy sites that deal with gambling, "free" music/movie/game download sites, or porn.