Question Some advice is this a used phone

[jen79]

My mom bought a ne moto g play 2023 the store pushed her to get it when she went to set it up a pop up from macfee kept popping up over and over with a virus warning then it just stopped then it asked about Reinstalling 7 apps That will remove 6 months ago I have never seen a new phone do this

 

[Mike Dee]

My mom bought a ne moto g play 2023 the store pushed her to get it when she went to set it up a pop up from macfee kept popping up over and over with a virus warning then it just stopped then it asked about Reinstalling 7 apps That will remove 6 months ago I have never seen a new phone do this

Welcome to Android Central.

Are you saying that she removed those apps from that device 6 months ago or a different device?

 

[B. Diddy]

That kind of warning is usually a bogus browser pop-up, designed to scare the user into tapping a link that is itself potentially malicious. It's often associated shade websites -- do you know if she was browsing the web when this happened?

Another possibility is that some app or game that she had installed on a previous phone automatically installed on the new phone (which is normal if she opted to restore the phone from a previous backup of the older phone), and that app carries adware that may include these kinds of bogus popups.

 

[jen79]

That kind of warning is usually a bogus browser pop-up, designed to scare the user into tapping a link that is itself potentially malicious. It's often associated shade websites -- do you know if she was browsing the web when this happened?

Another possibility is that some app or game that she had installed on a previous phone automatically installed on the new phone (which is normal if she opted to restore the phone from a previous backup of the older phone), and that app carries adware that may include these kinds of bogus popular

I bought her an unlocked new phone we took it to two different metro pcs provider in same area both shops said that they could not connect phone to metro and wanted to sell a moto g play the 1st tried to get my mom ss number I left cause that not right the second store said that he put the Sim in the phone put it won't connect he also said he would sell her the same phone good price to help her so she bought it. Brand knew she payed with her card he gave her the phone the whole transaction was not right I have been with metro for over 20 years we took the phone home I started to set it up just I'm setting like making the font larger when the mcfee pop up started then it just stopped the it asked about the apps. And that should not happen either cause we never went online nor was this phone Attached to to any other phin any way Attached to to any other Phone in any way Not even by the Google account Cause I haven't put that in yet plus her Google account is brand new so nothing's on itI called Motorola gave them the IMEI number They said that the number has never been activated I called metro And told them about the phone and I wanted to return it The service rap had me go online to select return form On return phone and ask for an invoice number so I looked at the receipt for the first time that he didn't give we had to ask for there is no invoice number So now he wants to go into the account He asked for the 8 digits security code which the guy at the store never set up with my mother So the customer service rep sent a new code by text message to the phone and we gave it to him he went on the account No I want to return the phone and I want to hook up the phone that originally bought her with people at metro store lied and said that the phone wouldn't hook up That's how we got the Motorola phone So he asks for the zip code On the account the guy never asked for that information but my mom gave him her ID But the zip code on her ID does not match the one on the account nor does the zip code at the store match the information on the count so he can't do any Think Plus she got the $40 a month plan my mother's cell phone bill was $73 a month he gave my mother the $65 plan plus $9 a month insurance Which She did not ask for And you're nothing about the insuranceSo the customer service manual with the phone at metro filed the complaint and we are waiting for that department to call us backSo basically he lied about not being able to hook up the phone that I brought I did and sold my mother some sort of hacked cell phoneSo basically he lied about not being able to hook up the phone that I brought I did and sold my mother some sort of hacked cell phonePut whatever he put for the account information so she can access it which we don't know what that is andPut her in a phone plan and a monthly insurance plan that she never asked for her bill was posed before it hours a months not 73Show the whole thing with some sort of a scamI'm worried because the brand new phone that I did get her that was unlocked he had that in his possession for a little bi'm worried he could have done something to that doesn't take long for someone to put whatever they put in there to take information out of it

 

[jen79]

Welcome to Android Central.

Are you saying that she removed those apps from that device 6 months ago or a differ

The apps were from the supposed brand new device that we just bought And the phone And the phone Was never linked to any old phone or Google account my mom hasn't had a phone and years now she's old she's been Sick I wrote a response to somebody else who answered my question so if you're able to read that I don't tell you the scam at the person at the metro PC s store tried to do to us or did do to us

 

[B. Diddy]

Sorry, it's a little hard to follow your post.

Is McAfee actually installed on the phone? If so, uninstall it, because it's not needed. Review these instead:

[GUIDE] How To Avoid Malware

Let's face it, malware is a fact of life. As long as there are personal mobile devices, there will be worthless shambling piles of meat that will try their best to exploit them for unscrupulous financial gain or worse. But contrary to what all of those urgent and breathless articles about the...

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“I’ve been hacked”

Smartphones have brought out various kinds of neurotic and paranoid reactions from users. The technology is difficult to understand, and it is easy for us to allow ourselves to suspect that bad things are happening, when in fact they’re not. Android Central regularly receives posts from guests...

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Some carriers automatically install an annoying app that can automatically install a bunch of junk apps if the user doesn't pay close attention. On T-Mobile (and presumably also Metro), there are two apps called T-Mobile AppSelector and AppManager. On the phone, go to Settings>Apps, tap Menu>Show System, and look for those apps. If they're present, see if you can uninstall them. (BTW, these kinds of junkware installers are legal, but can be a real pain in the behind.)